Arab League Defines West Bank Annexation as "War Crime"

Israel's plan to annex the West Bank is a war crime and a flagrant violation of international law, Arab League foreign ministers said Thursday.

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The Arab League's statement followed a video conference between ministers of the organization on Thursday.

The decisions of the Palestinian State will be supported by the League, through its political, legal and financial resources.

The Israeli plan is simply a crime of annexation, the organization said in a resolution issued after the video conference.

The extraordinary meeting of Arab League foreign ministers was convened after Israel signed an agreement that seeks to accelerate plans to annex the West Bank in the coming months.

"This war crime is part of a long list of Israeli attacks on the sovereignty of the Palestinian people," the resolution said.

Among this list of crimes, the Arab League recalled "the occupation of Palestinian land in 1967 by the Israeli government, including north of the Dead Sea and the territories where Israeli settlements are located." 

The extraordinary meeting of the organization's foreign ministers also discussed rising tensions in Lebanon

"These escalations raise extreme concerns and worries," Deputy Secretary General Hossam Zaki said.

He added that Lebanon's financial, economic and banking crisis requires decisive and immediate treatment, the ministers agreed.