Israel warns it will annex Judea & Samaria if Palestinian state recognized

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has reportedly warned multiple foreign governments that Israel will apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria if bid for unilateral Palestinian statehood succeeds.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel’s foreign minister has privately warned representatives of multiple foreign nations that Jerusalem is prepared to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria, should a bid to gain global recognition for Palestinian statehood succeed.

Currently, 147 countries around the world, representing some three-quarters of all United Nations member states, have declared their recognition of Palestinian statehood.

However, much of the industrialized world, including most Western nations, have not recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization’s 1988 unilateral claim to statehood.

The United States, Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, and most of the European Union member states currently do not recognize Palestinian statehood, and have in the past rejected unilateral steps by either the Palestinian Authority (PA) or Israel to alter the status quo, calling instead for a negotiated settlement.

Recently, however, French President Emmanuel Macron has signalled his willingness to back unilateral Palestinian statehood.

Along with Saudi Arabia, France has called for an international summit at the United Nations on June 17-18 aimed at drafting a declaration expressing global recognition of the PA as an independent state.

While some key international powers, including Germany, have signaled their opposition to the move, others, including Britain, are mulling support for unilateral steps against Israel, as a form of protest against the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar (New Hope) has lobbied foreign powers to reject the French-Saudi initiative.

According to a report on the Israel Hayom news outlet, Sa’ar has privately warned foreign leaders that should the summit succeed, Israel will respond with its own unilateral moves – specifically, applying sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria.

“Unilateral moves against Israel will be met with unilateral moves by Israel,” Sa’ar was quoted as saying.

Sa’ar reportedly spoke directly with his British and French counterparts – David Lammy and Jean-Noël Barrot, among others – to warn them of the repercussions of recognizing unilateral Palestinian statehood.

Earlier this month, Sa’ar hinted at Israel’s annexation plans in response to the French-Saudi bid.

During a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Sa’ar warned that any attempt to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state “will only harm future prospects for a bilateral process – and will push us for unilateral actions in response.”