The annexation of the Jordan Valley would eliminate the last chance for peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told Izvestia. Meanwhile, the Netanyahu administration told the paper that the annexation of these territories would be the key goal of the newly formed government and could begin this July, writes Russian state news agency TASS.
The actual annexation of Palestinian territory could begin in two or three months, the paper says. Israel is not planning any military operation or talks with the Palestinians, adviser to the prime minister Ariel Bulstein explained. “We will just apply our sovereignty to these territories exactly the way we did in 1981 with the Golan Heights. These lands will simply become part of Israel de jure, and they have this status now de facto, and we are already controlling this territory.”
Meanwhile, the Palestinian ambassador to Moscow told the paper that his administration rejected the so-called “deal of the century” and appealed to the United Nations and the international community to exert influence on Israel to prevent the annexation, wrote TASS.
“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked President Vladimir Putin, the UN and the Quartet of mediators to sway Israel to prevent the annexation of Palestinian soil. The Israelis’ steps would be the last nail in the coffin of a peaceful settlement,” the ambassador emphasized.