French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday urged the Israeli government to refrain from any unilateral measure aimed at the total or partial annexation of Palestinian territories. The request is in the spirit of France's commitment to a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said in a statement congratulating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Deputy Prime Minister Benjamin Gantz, who took office after 500 days of political crisis.
Le Drian recalled that the annexation of the occupied territories would be a violation of international law and a serious damage to the cause of the two-state solution, which was recently recalled by the European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
Such a decision would have consequences for EU-Israeli relations, he warned in a context marked by Netanyahu's intentions to start annexing areas of the occupied West Bank in July.
According to the Foreign Minister, Paris remains fully prepared to accompany efforts for a return to peace negotiations, the only path to regional security and stability.
Five days ago, the French government had rejected the occupiers' goal of appropriating areas of the West Bank and advocated talks between Palestinians and Israelis.
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