France Condemns Statements by Israeli Minister on West Bank Annexation.

Paris: France Wednesday condemned supremacist Jewish Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's statements on the preparation for the annexation of the occupied West Bank in the wake of Donald Trump's victory in the US elections. 'France condemns the recent remarks of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in favor of the annexation of the West Bank by Israel,' the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the French Foreign Ministry recalled that those remarks were 'against international law and the efforts that aim a de-escalation of the regional tensions.' The ministry stressed France's commitment to the implementation of 'the two-state solution' for Israel and Palestine to live 'in peace and security,' and noted that this would be the 'only' way to a 'just and durable' solution. Speaking at a meeting of his far-right Religious Zionism party on Monday, Smotrich said that Trump's victory provided an "important opportunity" and that "the tim e has come to apply sovereignty" over the West Bank. According to a statement from his office, Smotrich said he had instructed Israeli authorities overseeing West Bank settlements "to begin professional and comprehensive staff work to prepare the necessary infrastructure" for extending sovereignty. As well as finance minister, Smotrich has a role in the 'Defence Ministry' overseeing illegal colonies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Smotrich and other far-right politicians in Israel have hailed Trump's triumph in the presidential elections last week, hoping he will give the green light for Israel to officially annex Palestinian territory occupied since June 1967.