Background Talks on Annexation

Since the new government’s agreement on the option to annex parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories as part of their coalition treaty, the issue has been dominating the political discourse in Palestine and in Israel. As vague and as open as the plans and announcements are so far, the impact on the Palestinian population as well as on our partner organizations is expected to be intense. In order to analyze and discuss potential impacts on our partners and our work, forumZFD Israel & Palestine organized together with the Willy Brandt Center Jerusalem two background talks with experts from Israel and Palestine, for staff and partners.

Ofer Zalzberg, a political analyst at the International Crisis Group, focused on the concerns of the Israeli security establishment. According to many security experts, the annexation is an ideological step rather than one based on national interests or security. Xavier Abu Eid from the Negotiations Affairs Department of the PLO, and Naseef Muallem, Policy Advisor at the Palestinian Centre for Peace and Democracy, focused in the second session on the Palestinian perspective. After discussing the roles and options faced by international actors and organizations, they concluded that annexation would be the end of a negotiated two state solution.