In document addressed to Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders, signatories say extending sovereignty is ‘flagrant violation of bedrock rules’ 

 

Over 100 experts and scholars of international law from around the world have called on Israel to not annex parts of the West Bank, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared it is his intention to do.

In a letter sent Thursday, the signatories warned that annexation would “constitute a flagrant violation of bedrock rules of international law, and would also pose a serious threat to international stability in a volatile region.”

The document was addressed to Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn, and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.

Netanyahu has vowed to swiftly, and unilaterally, extend Israeli sovereignty to some 30 percent of the West Bank in accordance with the Trump administration peace plan, which also paves the way for the eventual creation of a Palestinian state on the remaining territory.