JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Saturday to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins the upcoming general election.
His comments come just days before the closely-fought April 9 poll and could be seen as an appeal to rightwing voters, who do not believe in the feasibility of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
鈥淚 will apply (Israeli) sovereignty, but I don鈥檛 distinguish between settlement blocs and isolated settlements,鈥� he said in an interview with Channel 12 television.
Settlements built on land occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War are deemed illegal by the international community and their ongoing construction is seen as a major barrier to peace.
Annexation could prove to be the death knell for the two-state solution.
Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said Netanyahu鈥檚 statement on annexation was 鈥渘ot surprising.鈥�
鈥淚srael will continue to brazenly violate international law for as long as the international community will continue to reward Israel with impunity, particularly with the Trump administration鈥檚 support,鈥� he said on Twitter.
In an interview broadcast Friday, Netanyahu said he told US President Donald Trump he would not remove settlements or people as part of a future American peace plan.
鈥淚 said there shouldn鈥檛 be the removal of even one settlement鈥� from the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu told Israel鈥檚 Channel 13 television.
More than 400,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements as part of Israel鈥檚 military occupation of the territory, where more than 2.5 million Palestinians live.
A further 200,000 Israelis live in settlements in occupied east Jerusalem, over which Israel has already implemented full sovereignty.
Washington is expected to unveil proposals for Israeli-Palestinian peace sometime after Tuesday鈥檚 Israeli election in which Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term.
The Israeli prime minister was asked by Channel 13 if he was familiar with the details of the US plan, replying he knew 鈥渨hat should be in it.鈥�
Along with settlements, 鈥渙ur ongoing control of all the territory west of the Jordan鈥� River was a further condition set by the Israeli premier for any US-led peace initiative.
Netanyahu said he informed Trump not 鈥渆ven one person鈥� would be evicted from a settlement.
The US president on Saturday was cautious about the outcome of Israel鈥檚 upcoming election, calling it a close race between 鈥渢wo good people.鈥�
鈥淗ow is the race going by the way? How is it, who鈥檚 going to win the race? Tell me, I don鈥檛 know,鈥� Trump asked the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas.
鈥淲ell, it鈥檚 going to be close 鈥� I think it鈥檚 going to be close. Two good people,鈥� he said, referring to Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz.
The latest polls place Netanyahu and ex-military chief Gantz neck and neck, but give the former the advantage in his ability to form a coalition government.
While Netanyahu has a close relationship with the US president, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas cut off relations with Washington after Trump declared the disputed city of Jerusalem Israel鈥檚 capital in December 2017.
The Palestinians say the US government鈥檚 pro-Israel bias meant it could no longer lead peace negotiations between them and Israel, while US officials argue their plan will be fair.
Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts have been at a standstill since 2014, when a drive for a deal by Barack Obama鈥檚 administration collapsed.