Jordan PM on Israeli pledge to annex parts of occupied WBank

Jordan's Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said on Thursday  Jordan will not accept any unilateral Israeli moves to annex the Jordan Valley and Palestinian territories.

Razzaz said the world would be witness to "an apartheid state" if Israel moved forward with its plans.

He said Israel was taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis to push through the annexation while the world was focused on tackling the pandemic.

Last week, Jordan's King Abdullah warned Israel of a "massive conflict" if it proceeds with plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank.

Razzaz said the king's words were "very clear" and "his majesty holds the countries of the world responsible for this matter".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to annex the Jordan Valley and Jewish settlements in the West Bank in line with US President Donald Trump's Middle East plan, which overwhelmingly favors Israel and was rejected by the Palestinians.

Trump's Middle East plan gives a green light to annexation, but most of the rest of the international community is strongly opposed.

Jordan is a close Western ally and one of only two Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel.