France, UN envoys warn Israel against partial annexation of West Bank

France and the United Nations Envoy to the Middle East has urged Israel against a partial annexation of the occupied West Bank with the UN’s envoy warning Israel against “closing the door” to negotiations.

A partial annexation of the West Bank would constitute a serious violation of international law, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a parliament hearing on Wednesday. He further said that France was working with European partners to come up with a joint action plan for prevention and reprisal should Israel make such a move.

“For the past few days we have held several video conferences with European colleagues (…) with a view to deciding on a joint preventive action and eventually a reprisal if such a decision were taken,” Le Drian stated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said cabinet discussions will start in July over extending Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, as was suggested under U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan.

The United Nation’s Middle East envoy has also warned that an Israeli move to annex parts of the West Bank would “close the door” to negotiations.

“The continuing threat of annexation by Israel of parts of the West Bank would constitute a most serious violation of international law, deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution, [and] close the door to a renewal of negotiations,” Nickolay Mladenov said during a meeting of the UN Security Council.

“Israel must abandon its threat of annexation. And the Palestinian leadership [must] re-engage with all members of the quartet,” Mladenov said, referring to the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

He urged the 15-member council to back a push by UN chief Antonio Guterres against unilateral steps that would hinder diplomatic efforts to renew negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The Palestinians have rejected a peace plan by the Trump administration as heavily biased in Israel’s favour. Mladenov urged the quartet to “come forward with a proposal that will enable the quartet to take up its mediation role”.