Israel annexation resources

Resources on Israeli annexation

Videos 

Caabu hosted an online briefing with Dr Hanan Ashrawi: Stopping annexation and ending occupation - the role of the international community - 19 May 2020

Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr Mohammad Shtayyeh addressed British parliamentarians in a briefing to the Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group on 29 June 2020

Parliamentary Briefing: Responding to illegal Israeli settlements and annexation -  13 May 2020

Video on why Israelis, Palestinians, Jews and peace-seekers around the world are mobilizing to stop unilateral annexation

Gideon Levy & Chris Doyle discuss the implications of any Israeli annexation -  1 July 2020

UK and annexation

A letter was sent from 149 UK parliamentarians to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 1 May, calling for sanctions on Israel if plan to illegally annex occupied Palestinian territory go ahead. This letter was covered in the Guardian

An Early Day Motion (EDM), which has been signed by 76 MPs, was tabled on 11 May in a similar vein to the letter: 

Boris Johnson responded to the letter on 1 June, confirming opposition to annexation but failed to show how the UK Government would tackle annexation

A cross-party group of British politicians has written to the Daily Telegraph on 13 June 2020, Opposing the Israel Government's land grab

Crispin Blunt MP challenges Prime Minister Boris Johnson on illegal Israeli annexation - 16 June 2020

Boris Johnson writes that "annexation would represent a violation of international law" - 1 July 2020

UN reports

UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (16/06/20) - The UN have stated that Israeli annexation of the occupied Palestinian West Bank would ‘violate a cornerstone principle of international law’ and calls for meaningful opposition from the international community. It further states that annexation is a serious violation of the Charter of the UN and the Geneva Conventions, something that will incite ‘wars, economic devastation, political instability, systematic human rights abuses and widespread human suffering’.

47 Special Procedure experts said annexation would extend Israeli sovereignty to almost 30 per cent of the West Bank, including most of the Jordan Valley and more than 230 illegal Israeli settlements.

"Annexation is illegal. Period": UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet warns that annexation will "entrench, perpetuate and further heighten serious human rights violations that have characterized the conflict for decades" - 

European statements

European Parliament: Remarks by the HR/VP Josep Borrell on the Foreign policy consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, on the PRC national security law for Hong Kong and on the possible Israeli annexation in the West Bank - 18 June 2020

1,080 European Parliamentarians from across 25 countries in Europe (including 248 British parliamentarians) have rejected Israel's planned annexation - 23 June 2020

Human rights groups

Peace now statement: The action proposed of applying sovereignty to the Palestinian territories or parts of them is the ‘unilateral and dangerous’ annexation which will hinder ‘Israel’s ability to flourish as a Jewish and democratic state’. Peace Now view annexation as not in Israel’s national interest for political, security and international backlash reasons (a unilateral political move, violates two-state solution, risks waves of violence, reinforces extremists, damage relations with Egypt and Jordan and international crisis - 1 April 2020.

Adalah (The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel): Letter sent to Israeli Attorney General, PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue-White party leader Benny Gantz, act of annexation/ applying sovereignty over the OPT is illegal.  Call to make clear Section 29 of the coalition agreement regarding annexation 1 July 2020 is illegal - 23 April 2020  

Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights: LPHR emphasised the immediacy for UK response to Israel’s imminent annexation of the West Bank, citing it will constitute a serious breach of a fundamental principle of international law. Actions suggested to the UK government which can be enacted through legislation include banning goods from Israeli settlements from entering the UK marketplace and preventing companies from operating in/trading with the settlements - 30 April 2020

Gisha briefing: Israel's isolation of the Gaza Strip and how it serves annexationist goals in the West Bank - June 2020

Amnesty International: Israel/OPT: Unlawful “annexation” plan promotes ‘law of the jungle’ and must be stopped - 1 July 2020

Palestinian civil society: Several Palestinian civil society organisations, including Al Haq, Al Mean Centre for Human Rights, JLAC and WCLAC, call for immediate and targeted sanctions to stop Israel's annexation and apartheid - 1 July 2020

Reports from aid agencies

UK charities ask: Is the UK government abandoning the Palestinian people? - 29 June 2020 

Medical Aid for Palestinians - MAP states that ‘Annexation constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and of the post-World War Two international order which prohibits absolutely the acquisition of territory by force.’. They note it would result in an intensified threat to Palestinians’ right to basic rights such as health and wellbeing. - 22 June 2020

Other letters

An open letter from 272 international lawyers condemning annexation - 11 June 2020

Democratic lawmakers in the US sign letter drafted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threatening to cut US military aid to Israel. Letter also signed by Senator Bernie Sanders, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Betty McCollum,  Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley - 30 June 2020

Former Israeli MKs from the Israeli Labor Party and Meretz wrote a letter of thanks to UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy, Shadow Middle East Minister Wayne David and other Labour parliamentarians for position on banning illegal Israeli settlement produce and warn of annexation "formalising a regime of apartheid" for Palestinians - 1 July 2020

Analysis

Palestinians are tired of proving Israeli apartheid exists – Amjad Iraqi (+972) - 17 June 2020

Palestinians are fighting to dismantle apartheid, not just annexation – Salem Barahmeh (+972) - 29 June 2020