Top UK diplomat shares ‘concern’ about Israel’s annexation plans
Acting deputy permanent representative at the UN Security Council, Ambassador James Roscoe, said Britain viewed Israel’s proposed unilateral action as illegal
A senior UK envoy to the United Nations has shared Britain’s “concern” about reports from Israel that large parts of the West Bank are to be annexed this summer.
During the most recent UN Security Council briefing on the Middle East peace process late last week, acting deputy permanent representative Ambassador James Roscoe said the UK viewed Israel’s proposed unilateral annexation as illegal.
“Any unilateral moves towards annexation of parts of the West Bank by Israel would be damaging to efforts to restart peace negotiations and would be contrary to international law,” he said, adding that the UK supported a negotiated settlement “based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps”.
His concerns were echoed by the European Union’s foreign affairs representative Joseph Borrell, who said the EU “reiterates that any annexation would constitute a serious violation of international law”. Germany also raised similar alarm, while the French ambassador said Israeli annexation “would not pass unchallenged”.
Nikolay Mladenov, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said Israeli annexation would “constitute a serious violation of international law” that could “ignite the situation”.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that “the Israelis will ultimately make those decisions,” which appeared to give Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz the green light to declare vast swathes of the West Bank to be sovereign Israeli territory in July.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
