European ministers seeking options to halt West Bank annexation
Gantz and Netanyahu
Foreign ministers of 11 countries have asked the members of the European Union to help them find possible solutions to stop the West Bank annexation.
The top politicians have asked Joseph Borell, the EU foreign policy chief, for possible legal consequences for Israel if it moves forward with its plans to annex the disputed West Bank region.
"We concur that anyannexationof Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 would be a violation of international law and imperil the foundations of the peace process," the ministers said in a statement after a joint video conference.
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had set July 1 as the date when it could begin to annex Jewish settlements in theWestBankas well as the strategic Jordan Valley.
The move was endorsed by a Middle East plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump in January.
Netanyahu's office made no announcement on July 1 as expected, but said talks were continuing with US officials and Israeli security chiefs.
The EU has in recent weeks mounted a diplomatic campaign againstannexation, highlighted by a visit to Jerusalem by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to raise a concern about the prospective plans.
But the bloc cannot threaten Israel with formal sanctions without unanimous support among members.
After occupying theWestBankin the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel began establishing a network of settlements the following decade. Construction continues to this day.