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- Demonstrations were held in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Jericho, attended by a handful of left-wing Israeli politicians opposed to annexation
- France, Germany, several other European states and the United Nations all oppose annexation, as do the Gulf Arab states, with which Israel has increasingly sought warmer ties
JERUSALEM: Thousands of Palestinians protested Wednesday in Gaza against Israel’s West Bank annexation plans, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said talks were ongoing on the project, which faces intensifying international opposition.
Netanyahu’s center-right coalition government had set July 1 as the date from which it could begin implementing US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace proposal.
While no major announcement was expected on Israel’s self-imposed kick-off date, Netanyahu’s office said talks with US officials “on the application of sovereignty” were ongoing.
Netanyahu was also discussing annexation with his security chiefs, it added, saying “further discussions will be held in the coming days.”
In Gaza City, several thousand protesters gathered, some brandishing Palestinian flags and placards condemning Trump.
“The resistance must be revived,” Gaza protester Rafeeq Inaiah told AFP. “Israel is afraid of force.”
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Israel, Palestine