Riyadh: The Gulf Cooperation Council on Wednesday condemned Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich's plan to annex the vast majority of the occupied Palestinian territory as 'dangerous and suspicious'. Jasem Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the GCC, expressed strong disapproval of the plan, highlighting its potential to destabilize the region.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Albudaiwi stated in a press release that he 'condemns in the strongest terms the dangerous and suspicious calls made by a minister in the government of the Israeli occupation forces, which aim to deepen settlement and annex the occupied West Bank.' He emphasized that such calls highlight the occupation's systematic approach to destabilizing security in the region and undermining peace opportunities, in blatant defiance of international conventions.
Albudaiwi also urged the international community to take immediate action to halt these 'inflammatory calls and dangerous practices by the Israeli occupation forces.' He reiterated the GCC's support for the Palestinian people in their struggle against these aggressive statements and practices, advocating for their legitimate rights, including the establishment of an independent state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Earlier that day, Smotrich unveiled a controversial plan proposing the annexation of 82 percent of the West Bank into Israel, effectively obstructing the possibility of a future Palestinian state. The proposal would leave only six isolated enclaves, where major Palestinian cities are located, outside of Israeli control, while all other areas would be formally annexed. Smotrich justified the plan with the principle of taking control of 'maximum land with minimum [Palestinian] population.'
Israel refers to the occupied West Bank as 'Judea and Samaria' to bolster its claims to the territory, seeking to lend them historical and religious legitimacy.