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Palestinians fear nothing will stop Israel’s annexation of West Bank

Following the Israeli prime minister's vow to annex West Bank settlements, Palestinians say moves to claim their land have long been a grim reality, even before the electoral promises.

Israeli forces patrol as they search for a Palestinian gunman near Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC164DE6ED80
Israeli forces patrol as they search for a Palestinian gunman near Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, March 17, 2019. — REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Three days before the Israeli elections were held on April 9, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Channel 12 that he would start extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and annex West Bank settlements if he was reelected. The settlements are illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

For many Palestinians, however, this has been a fait accompli for many years now. Mohammed al-Khabir, 43, from Khirbet Ain al-Hilweh in the northern Jordan Valley, is no longer interested in what is being said in the news.

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