Saudi FM condemns Netanyahu pledge to annex West Bank’s Jordan Valley

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf said on Sunday that the new Israeli measures are invalid and everything resulting from them is rejected by the Kingdom, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he is convening his final pre-election Cabinet meeting in a part of the West Bank he's vowed to annex if re-elected.

Al-Assaf also condemned the “dangerous escalation” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for the international community to hold Israel accountable for its violations against the Palestinian people.

The comments were part of an emergency Organization of Islamic Cooperation taking place in Jeddah and called for by Saudi Arabia.

For his part, Foreign Affairs Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Riyad al-Maliki said that the Palestinian Authority’s leadership appreciates Saudi Arabia’s quick reaction in condemning the Israeli stance.

Al-Maliki added that Netanyahu’s pledge to annex the West Bank’s Jordan Valley goes against international agreements and resolutions, stating that it is a continuation of Israel’s attempts to “forge the geography and history of Palestine.”

“The Israeli violations against the Palestinian people are happening with an American approval,” al-Maliki said.