The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will annex large parts of the Occupied West Bank if he is re-elected.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, he said: "Today I announce my intention, after the establishment of a new government, to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea".
In a follow-up tweet, he wrote: "Next week, I ask that you give me the power - and vote - so that I apply Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley immediately after the elections.
"This will be the first step in applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria and other areas."
Here's the map of the territory of the Jordan Valley, in the West Bank, that Netanyahu vowed to annex if he wins next week's election (blue: will be annexed to Israel; orange: will remain under Palestinian control) pic.twitter.com/xMcsPeDLpt
— Raphael Ahren (@RaphaelAhren) September 10, 2019
The Jordan Valley, which Palestinians want for the eastern perimeter of a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, stretches from the Dead Sea in the south to the Israeli city of Beit Shean in the north.
Some 65,000 Palestinians live in the area, along with over 30 illegal Israeli settlements.
In May, the United Nations said Israeli forces "temporarily displaced" 184 people on 11 occasions in the Jordan Valley to make way for military trainings.
Residents of the herding communities of Tell al Khashabah, Lifjim and Humsa al Bqai’a - located on or within the boundaries of Israeli-designated closed military areas, also known as 'firing zones' - were forced out of their homes for about 12 hours each time.
During his speech, Mr Netanyahu used a map and pointer to show the land he wants to annex | Image via @netanyahu on TwitterThe United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said: "In most cases, these people spent the night out in the open or in neighbouring communities."
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, but stopped short of annexation.
In a statement ahead of Mr Netanyahu's speech, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said: "We caution against the possibility of Israel's announcement to include areas of the West Bank as part of Netanyahu's attempts to win votes in the upcoming elections.
"The land of Palestine is not part of the Netanyahu election campaign".
Voters in Israel go to the polls on September 17th.
A recent poll has put a theoretical coalition including Mr Netanyahu's Likud Party at 58 seats - just short of a 61-seat majority in the Israeli parliament.
