Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s annexation plan, which is set to be implemented on July 1, appears to be facing major international and domestic opposition after Germany, Israel’s ally, warned against it.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is expected to travel to Israel Wednesday to warn that there will be consequences if Israeli leaders move forward with annexation plans in the occupied West Bank.
Sources indicated that Maas intends to make it clear to Israel that a unilateral annexation will force Germany into choosing between its alliance with it and commitment to international law and EU values.
Maas will also meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, hold a conference call with the Palestinian leadership, and later travel to Jordan for talks with King Abdullah II.
Germany, along with the United Nations and almost all EU countries, are trying to pressure Israel against annexing parts of the West Bank.
A former Israeli diplomat indicated that Netanyahu's statements about going ahead with annexation plans in July embarrassed Germany, especially that on the same day Berlin will assume the presidency of both the EU and the UN’s Security Council.
The UN, EU, and Arab League will adopt a series of resolutions against the annexation if Tel Aviv goes ahead with its plans, according to diplomatic sources in Tel Aviv.
Aside from the US, not many countries will recognize the unilateral annexation, as was the case with the recognition of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
Such annexation could lead to a number of sanctions on Israel. However, it might also change the way the world views settlements.
The UN and the EU distinguish between Israel itself and the settlements in the occupied territories. They consider the settlements illegal, but that will no longer be possible if Tel Aviv declares that the territories are an integral part of it.
The move threatens every cooperation with Israel even without the need to resort to sanctions, according to the source.
A number of countries are preparing to respond to Israel’s annexation plans. A source at the Israeli embassy in Brussels reported that the EU is considering imposing sanctions such as banning Tel Aviv from participating in cooperation agreements.
A number of Jewish and Arab groups protested Saturday against the annexation plans on the 53rd anniversary of the 1967 war.
The police tried to block the rally in Tel Aviv but later granted it a permit, limiting the number of participants to 2,000 only. It also forced the organizers to remain in Rabin square.
Some of the protesters waved Israeli and Palestinian flags, with several dozens holding up pictures of Iyad Halak, a Palestinian man with autism who was shot dead by police last week.
US Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders addressed the march in a video message, saying: “I’m extremely heartened to see so many of you, Arabs and Jews alike, standing up for peace, justice and democracy.”
Sanders asserted that the plans to annex any parts of the West Bank must be stopped and the occupation must be ended.
“We must work together for a future of equality and dignity for all people in Israel and Palestine.”
Also speaking via video message, Joint List leader Ayman Odeh said all Jews and Arabs who support peace and justice must oppose Netanyahu’s plan to enact Israeli sovereignty over some 30 percent of the West Bank.
“Annexation is apartheid,” Odeh told the protesters, asserting that social justice can’t be achieved if the occupation is not ended.
Lawmaker Nitzan Horowitz, the head of Meretz, described annexation as a war crime, “a crime against peace, a crime against humanity, a crime that will result in bloodshed.”
Horowitz called out Gantz, Ashkenazi and Economy Minister Amir Peretz, accusing them of “raising their hands and crawling to the other side,” saying they were partners in this disaster.
