The ministers of foreign affairs for Egypt, Germany, France, and Jordan warned Israel, on Tuesday, that any change to its 1967 borders would violate international law. The ministers also warned that border changes would endanger the foundations of the peace process.
In a statement distributed by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, the four countries opposed Israeli plans to annex parts of Palestinian territories.
The four countries said that their respective foreign ministers had exchanged views on the current status of the Middle East peace process, whilst discussing ways to restart talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The moves to annex the Palestinian territories come as part of a peace plan announced by the administration of US President Donald Trump in January 2020. The US-led plan aims to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, although it has been rejected by the PA.
“We concur that any annexation of Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 would be a violation of international law and imperil the foundations of the peace process,” the foreign ministers said after their video conference, “We would not recognise any changes to the 1967 borders that are not agreed by both parties of the conflict.”
It could also have serious implications on the Middle East region’s security and stability, as well as impact relationships with Israel, the statement explained.
Although Israel had no immediate response, the office of the country’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced on Monday that he had told his British counterpart Boris Johnson he was committed to Trump’s “realistic” peace plan.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office said, “Israel is prepared to conduct negotiations on the basis of President Trump’s peace plan, which is both creative and realistic, and will not return to the failed formulas of the past.”
However, Johnson has informed Netanyahu that he vehemently opposes any Israeli step to annex parts of the West Bank.
