A Fatah-organized mass rally against Israel’s planned annexation of parts of the West Bank drew thousands to the Jordan Valley on Monday, despite coronavirus concerns and Israeli forces turning away buses carrying protesters to the event.
It was the largest rally of its kind since Trump in January unveiled his controversial plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, which gives Israel a green light to annex West Bank settlements and the strategic Jordan Valley, amounting to some 30 percent of the territory.
In a speech at the rally, UN Special Envoy to the Middle East Nikolay Mladenov told Palestinians never to give up on their dream of a state. Mladenov repeated the UN position that Israeli annexation would violate international law, adding that it might “kill the very idea that peace and statehood for the Palestinians are achievable through negotiations.”
“You’re not renting a house here, this is your home. You do not throw away the keys to something that you have been building for 25 years. You protect it and you invest in the future, a future that is built on shared values of democracy, accountability and prosperity for everyone,” he said.
Source: The Times Of Israel
