The government of Maldives, on Wednesday, condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement to annex and apply Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea in the Occupied Palestinian Territories of West Bank if he were re-elected in next week’s general elections.

During a televised news conference, Netanyahu implied that the annexation plan would be possible due to support from the US, which is also due to publicize its Israel-Palestine peace plan shortly after the Israeli election.

The Maldivian government’s official statement denounced all attempts to annex any part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a grave violation of international law including the Geneva Conventions. Such actions were also criticized as deterrents to meaningful dialogue and lasting peace in the Middle East.

The annexation of the Jordan Valley would constitute a severe blow to the viability of an independent Palestine as it would effectively leave Israel encircling any Palestinian political entity that emerges.

Maldives called upon the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the international community to condemn Israel’s blatant violation and disregard of international law and take immediate action to uphold resolution 2334 and other relevant agreements.

Adopted on December 23, 2016, Resolution 2334 concerns Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories occupied after 1967, including East Jerusalem. In addition to demanding the halt of such activity, the resolution calls on Israel to fulfil the obligations of an occupying power stipulated under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Extending full support to the Palestinian people, the government expressed its commitment to advocating for a two-state solution, involving an independent and sovereign Palestine based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The statement expressed that “the self-determination of the Palestinian people is paramount to achieving lasting peace in the Middle East”.