Eleven European foreign ministers have demanded that the European Union quickly formulate a list of possible responses to an Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, reported Israeli daily Haaretz.

In a letter sent to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday, they wrote that doing so is essential, because “the window to deter annexation is fast closing.”

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Haaretz, was signed by the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Holland, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Portugal and Malta.

These ministers first demanded that Borrell formulate responses to an Israeli annexation at an unofficial meeting with him on May 15. In response, he ordered his staff to prepare a list of possible responses. But this document, known as an “options paper,” still hasn’t been completed and shown to the foreign ministers who requested it, the letter complained.

The possible annexation by Israel of parts of the occupied Palestinian territory remains a matter of grave concern for the EU and its Member States,” the ministers wrote. “As you referred to in your statements of 4 February 2020 and 18 May, Israel’s annexation of parts of the occupied Palestinian territory would be a breach of international law.”

They said they understood that the options paper “is a sensitive issue and timing is important, but time is also short. We are concerned that the window to deter annexation is fast closing.”

“It is important to have clarity on the legal and political implications of annexation,” they continued. “Therefore we would like to see a paper, drafted in close consultation with the Commission, that provides an overview of the EU-Israel relations, an analysis of the legal consequences of annexation, as well as a list of possible actions in response to it, including the automatic triggers of all EU-IL agreements and the respective responsibilities of the Commission. Such an options paper would also contribute to our efforts to deter annexation”.

Ever since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to start annexing parts of the West Bank on July 1, based on the diplomatic plan proposed by the Trump administration, the EU has been working to prevent such a step. It argues that annexation would violate international law and end any chance of a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines.