This came in a statement by Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, reported by the official WAFA news agency.
Abu Rudeineh said, "There is no legitimacy to any annexation process, just like settlements. All of them are condemned and rejected, and will close all doors to achieving security and stability in the region and the world."
Abu Rudeineh considered attempts to annex the West Bank and impose Israeli sovereignty over it a "flagrant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions, especially UN Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and 2334 (2016), which nullify any attempts to legitimize Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land."
He continued, "The Israeli government, through its practices, seeks to 'undermine efforts to stop the war against our people in the Gaza Strip and the attacks in the West Bank, and to end any chance of achieving the two-state solution, which the world agrees upon and for which the New York Peace Conference (late July) was held, which emphasized Israel's isolation and unilateral actions."
The Palestinian presidential spokesman called on the international community to "take practical and serious steps to prevent Israel from implementing its plans, recognize the State of Palestine, and implement UN resolutions that support our people's inherent right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital."
On Sunday evening, the Hebrew-language Walla news website reported, citing unnamed private sources, that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar informed his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, during talks held on Wednesday that Tel Aviv is preparing to announce its sovereignty over the West Bank in the coming months.
Hebron clans refuse
In a related development, Palestinian clans in the Hebron Governorate, south of the West Bank, on Monday rejected an Israeli plan aimed at separating the governorate from the Palestinian National Authority and handing it over to tribal rule.
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This came during a protest held in front of the Hebron Governorate headquarters, at the invitation of Palestinian clans and factions, in response to Israeli statements regarding plans to separate Hebron from the West Bank and hand it over to tribal rule.
On Friday, Channel 24 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss a plan to separate the city of Hebron from the Palestinian Authority's sphere of influence, replacing the region's leaders with local clans and establishing a separate emirate. This plan is in response to the intention of several Western countries to recognize the State of Palestine.
Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin said in a speech to the crowd, "Hebron, which has offered thousands of martyrs, wounded, and prisoners, will not sell out the blood and suffering of its children, and will not accept being separated from the homeland." He called for greater unity and close ranks to confront Israeli plans and thwart conspiracies.
The Israeli channel said on Friday: "It is expected that this entity (Hebron, after its alleged separation) will recognize Israel as a Jewish state and join the Abraham Accords for normalization between Arab countries and Israel."
This comes ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York this September, where countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Finland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and San Marino are expected to push for recognition of the State of Palestine. Other European countries, such as Britain, France, Malta, and Norway, have already announced similar positions.
In parallel with the war of extermination in Gaza, the Israeli occupation army and settlers have escalated their attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,016 Palestinians, the injury of approximately 7,000 others, and the arrest of more than 18,500, according to Palestinian data.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide since October 7, 2023, leaving 63,557 Palestinians martyred, 160,660 injured, most of them children and women, more than 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 348 Palestinians, including 127 children.
