Israel accelerates move to implement annexation plan: Palestinian official

APD NEWS

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A senior Palestinian official said on Tuesday that Israel is accelerating its move to implement the plan of annexing parts of the West Bank.

Walid Assaf, head of the National Commission to Resist the Wall and Settlements in the West Bank, told reporters that the West Bank witnesses unprecedented Israeli escalation, mainly the confiscation of lands and settlement expansion.

"The Israeli government has officially postponed the implementation of its annexation plan, but what is happening on the ground is a large preparation for implementing the plan," he said.

Oslo peace accords signed between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993 had divided the West Bank into three areas, as Area A is under the full security and administrative control of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Area B is under joined Israeli security control and PA administrative rule, while Area C is under full Israeli control.

"There is a significant and unprecedented Israeli escalation of confiscating lands and expanding settlements in Areas C to impose new realities on the ground," said Assaf.

The Palestinian official said that these moves did not take place haphazardly and the Israelis carried them out in certain areas.

He called for organizing "official and public campaigns" to defend the targeted Palestinian lands and topple the annexation plan, which undermines the vision of the two-state solution.