Qatar Rejects Israeli Plan To Annex West Bank

Qatar has reiterated its rejection of any Israeli move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, vowing to continue support to the Palestinian people."We reject any attempt to annex any occupied Palestinian land," Foreign Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a virtual meeting of the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee to coordinate international assistance to the Palestinian people late Tuesday.Israel is expected to annex parts of the occupied West Bank under a plan agreed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival-turned ally Benny Gantz, the head of the Blue and White party.The plan comes as part of US President Donald Trump's so-called "Deal of the Century" that was announced on Jan. 28. It refers to Jerusalem as "Israel's undivided capital" and recognizes Israeli sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank.The plan calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the form of an archipelago connected by bridges and tunnels.Palestinian officials say that under the US plan, Israel will annex 30%-40% of the West Bank, including all of East Jerusalem.The Qatari foreign minister said Doha has provided support worth $1.2 billion to the Palestinians over the past eight years."And we will continue our support to the Palestinian people," he said.The top diplomat voiced concern over a drop in financial contributions to the Palestinians due to the outbreak of coronavirus."This challenge is getting tougher due to measures taken by the Israeli occupation," he said.Established in 1993, the Ad-hoc Liaison Committee is an international aid body to coordinate the support to the Palestinians.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara -