Israeli attempt to annex West Bank would be 'red line' for US, says Macron
Macron stressed that annexation would carry severe consequences
Any Israeli move to annex parts of the West Bank would be a "red line" for Washington and effectively end Arab-Israeli diplomatic normalisation, French President Emmanuel Macron warned yesterday (24 September), saying he had been assured of this by Donald Trump.
Speaking to France 24, Macron revealed that he had presented the US president with a detailed three-page plan on the future of Palestine during their meeting in New York on Tuesday (23 September).
The proposal, he said, was based on the New York Declaration, a document endorsed by more than 143 states. It calls for excluding Hamas from future governance in Gaza and the West Bank, while charting a pathway for a sustainable peace process, reports The Guardian.
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Macron explained that his central objective in the talks was to bring the US, Europe, and Arab countries onto the same diplomatic platform.
"On that topic in very clear terms the Europeans and the Americans are on the same page," he said when asked about Israeli settlement expansion, including controversial plans to build 3,400 new homes in the E1 corridor.
British officials have expressed concerns that Donald Trump could recognise Israeli sovereignty over illegal settlements in the West Bank in retaliation for the UK, Australia, France and others deciding to recognise Palestine.
Macron, however, stressed that annexation would carry severe consequences.
"Any attempt to annex the West Bank would be the end of the Abraham Accords, which was one of the success stories from Trump's first administration. The United Arab Emirates was very clear on it," he said. "I think it is a red line for the USA."
The 2020 Abraham Accords, brokered under Trump's first term, normalised relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the UAE.
If Trump does indeed insist that annexation must not happen, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will be put in serious political difficulty, as parts of his extreme-right governmental coalition have demanded that Israel seize the West Bank either partly or completely, according to the French president.
On the other hand, if Netanyahu went ahead with annexation – with US endorsement or quiescence – the plan for a two-state solution in which a Palestinian state sits alongside Israel would be in serious jeopardy. Netanyahu is due to meet Trump at the White House on Monday (22 September) and will address the UN General Assembly on 26 September.
Macron said the initial goal in his "brand new" multi-stage plan was to secure a ceasefire and the release of all the hostages.
