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Jordan's king refutes Israeli plan to annex occupied West Bank

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 07 September 2025 7:28 PM

The Jordanian king has reaffirmed his "absolute refusal" of any efforts by Israel to annex the occupied West Bank.

According to a royal palace statement, King Abdullah II, during a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday, reiterated "Jordan's absolute refusal of any Israeli measures aimed at annexing the West Bank and forcing Palestinians to leave."

The king was joined by Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in expressing opposition to Israeli plans to expand settlements in the West Bank.

The message came after several Israeli regime officials threatened that the entity could proceed with the annexation of large tracts of the occupied territory in response to moves by Western governments to recognize Palestinian statehood this month.

Far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich recently announced plans to annex more than 80 percent of the occupied West Bank in a bid to block the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Smotrich stated that the main principle of annexation is "the maximum land with minimum Arab population."

The UAE, the main signatory of the US-backed deal that saw Israel normalize relations with three Arab states, this week warned that Israel's annexation of any part of the occupied West Bank would be a "red line" that would "end the pursuit of regional integration."

In 2020, the UAE became the first Arab country in 26 years to normalize relations with Israel under the "Abraham Accords," with Bahrain and Morocco following soon after.

The issue of Palestinian sovereignty over the West Bank was a key point during the US-led negotiations for Abu Dhabi to normalize relations with Israel in the Abraham Accords of 2020.

The Jordanian king also on Sunday rejected any plans to displace Palestinians from the besieged Gaza Strip to separate the two Palestinian territories.

The king has on multiple occasions said that Jordan would never be a "substitute country" for Palestinians, amid suggestions from the United States and Israel that third countries could take in displaced Gazans.

Jordan has been witnessing pro-Palestine rallies since the eruption of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, with the protesters calling on the government to close the Israeli embassy and end the 1994 peace treaty that normalized ties with Israel.