LONDON: The United Kingdom has strongly condemned recent comments made by hard-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding the annexation of the West Bank. Hamish Falconer, the UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, criticized Smotrich's remarks, calling them a direct threat to peace efforts. According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, in a statement on X, Falconer described Smotrich's plan for annexing the occupied West Bank as "illegal under international law" and warned that such actions would further destabilize the region. He emphasized that the annexation undermines the prospects for a two-state solution and called on the Israeli government to reject Smotrich's provocative stance. Smotrich, a far-right member of Israel's government, had declared on November 11 that he had instructed the Settlement and Civil Administration to begin preparing the necessary infrastructure for applying Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank. His comments have drawn widespread inter national criticism, with many viewing them as a significant escalation in Israel's approach to the Palestinian territories.
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