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Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has warned that the country could move to unilaterally annex settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley if key international powers, such as the United Kingdom and France, recognise a Palestinian state.
According to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, as reported by the Palestinian News Agency Wafa, Sa’ar stated that any unilateral action against Israel would be met with a unilateral Israeli response. His comments signal that Israel may seek to formalise its control over Palestinian territories if international recognition of Palestinian statehood progresses.
The warning is directed at a diplomatic push led by French President Emmanuel Macron, who is reportedly preparing to convene an international summit in New York in mid-June. Supported by Saudi Arabia, the conference aims to rally international backing for the official recognition of Palestine.
Sources told Israel Hayom that Macron is targeting June 18 as the date for several countries to jointly issue formal declarations in support of Palestinian statehood. The Israeli government has responded angrily, accusing the French president of “deception,” claiming he had previously assured Israeli officials that no such move would take place.
Currently, 149 of the 193 United Nations member states officially recognise Palestine as a state.
The threat from Israel comes in the wake of a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2024, which declared Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories unlawful. The ICJ ruling supported Palestinian claims to self-determination and called for the evacuation of Israeli settlements in these areas.
