Saudi Arabia and France warned Israel on Monday against “any form of annexation” as potential retaliation for Western countries’ recognition of Palestinian statehood, saying it would be a “red line.”

A joint statement from the two nations after a UN summit they co-hosted aimed at promoting a two-state solution said they “urge the Israeli leadership to seize this opportunity for peace, and to issue a clear public commitment to the two-state solution.”

The two nations also called for an end to all settlement activities and settler violence.

“We reiterate that any form of annexation is a red line for the international community that bears serious consequences and constitutes a direct risk to existing and future peace agreements,” the statement said.

The UN gathering demonstrated overwhelming international support for the Palestinian cause and the unprecedented state of isolation that Israel finds itself less than two years after Hamas’s October 7 attack, in which terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostage.

“It is now time for the international community to move from words to deeds,” the statement read, welcoming the recognition of a Palestinian state in recent days by a number of Western countries.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the recognitions as well as the notion of Palestinian statehood, and vowed to respond upon his return from the UN. Some government ministers are pushing Israel to annex part of the West Bank in response to the wave of recognitions.

France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, San Marino and Andorra issued statements on their recognition of a Palestinian state at the conference. The UK, Australia, Canada and Portugal made their own announcements recognizing Palestine a day earlier.

Both the US and Israel have argued that........

© The Times of Israel