The Arab League (AL) strongly condemned two Israeli bills, approved in the first reading by the Israeli Parliament, to annex all or parts of the occupied West Bank, and thus they demand international sanctions.

Ramallah.- AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit denounced both initiatives and called on the international community to confront “these extremist tendencies.”

Aboul Gheit warned that silence in the face of such actions will encourage the far right and Israeli settler groups to continue their plan to create a new reality on the ground through the annexation of Palestinian lands.

He insisted on the need to apply sanctions on that country, including an economic boycott of all goods and services from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The Arab Parliament issued a similar statement, calling both bills a clear violation of international norms and a threat to regional security.

Mohammed Al-Yamahi, speaker of the Arab Parliament, affirmed that these measures are “a blatant attempt to annex Palestinian territories by force” and an attack on the two-state solution. (PL)