RAMALLAH, April 20 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official on Monday warned against the Israeli annexation of the Palestinian lands after the formation of a new Israeli unity government.
Saeb Erekat, secretary general of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, said in a press statement that the new Israeli government has two choices.
"The first choice is to open the horizons for releasing a meaningful peace process and abide by its merits under the international law, and the second is to keep endangering peace by settlement and annexation," said Erekat.
The PLO senior official warned against implementing the Israeli annexation plans "which means that Israel is destroying any peace possibility throughout negotiations between Israel and Palestine."
Erekat urged the international community to hold the Israeli government "accountable" and make it "fully implement its commitments under the international law and the signed treaties."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Benny Gantz signed on Monday an agreement to form a new unity government for three years.
According to the agreement, Netanyahu and Gantz will rotate the position of the prime minister every 18 months, Israeli Radio reported.
The deal put under question Netanyahu's controversial promise to annex the West Bank's Jordan Valley, which was a major part of U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called peace plan for the Middle East.
The deal does not straightforwardly cancel the annexation but states that such a move could be made only if it will not harm regional stability and future prospects for peace.
The Palestinians firmly oppose the annexation because the Jordan Valley is part of the West Bank, a territory seized by Israel in a 1967 war, where the Palestinians wish to build their future state. Enditem
