RAMALLAH, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestine said on Monday that Israeli officials who are responsible for the preparations of annexation of the occupied West Bank's Jordan Valley will "end up on trial" before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of "undermining international law and international consensus" as it continues to take measures to accelerate the plan of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the Jordan Valley by advancing a draft bill on the matter to the parliament.
"The movements by the ruling right wing in Israel in this regard come as a practical translation of Netanyahu's electoral campaign promise to annex the Jordan Valley in order to enhance his chances in winning the elections," it said.
Netanyahu, during his last electoral campaign in September 2019, said that Israel will annex the Jordan Valley and impose its sovereignty over West Bank settlements for security concerns in the long run.
The Palestinian ministry said that it will continue to submit files on Israeli measures to the ICC, including those aimed at annexing the West Bank's Jordan Valley.
On Dec. 20, Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of the ICC, announced that the preliminary examination into the situation in Palestine "has concluded with the determination that all the statutory criteria under the Rome Statute for the opening of an investigation have been met."
For Palestinians, the Jordan Valley, which is located in the east of the West Bank, is considered a vital and integral part of their future state for its strategic location and fertile lands.
