Abbas: All deals to end if Israel annexes key valley

RAMALLAH, Palestinian territories - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned on Tuesday that all peace agreements will end if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moves to annex the occupied Jordan Valley in the West Bank.

Abbas said that the agreements signed with Israel will be terminated if the Israeli side imposes its sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, northern Dead Sea or any part of the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East War.

"We have the right to defend our rights and achieve our goals by all available means, whatever the results are, since Netanyahu's decisions contradict the international legitimacy and international law," the Palestinians leader said.

His response came after Netanyahu announced earlier on Tuesday that he will annex the Jordan Valley if he is reelected in the Sept 17 elections.

Also on Tuesday, Arab foreign ministers condemned Netanyahu for threatening to annex the occupied Jordan Valley, calling it a dangerous development and "a new Israeli offensive" that undermines peace chances.

The ministers, who met in Cairo for the Arab League Council's 152nd session, vowed they are prepared to take all legal and political actions to counter this unilateral Israeli policy.

They warned that the Israeli government should bear responsibility for the consequences of these statements, which they described as "dangerous, illegal and irresponsible".

They reaffirmed their adherence to the principles of the Arab position that supports the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian diplomat, said the annexation would be "manifestly illegal" and called on the international community to act.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned the move would "push the whole region toward violence" and risks "killing off the entire peace process".

In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu slammed Netanyahu's pledge as "racist".

"The election promise of Netanyahu, who is giving all kind of illegal, unlawful and aggressive messages before the election, is a racist apartheid state," Cavusoglu wrote on his official Twitter account in both English and Turkish.

Saudi Arabia condemned it as a "dangerous escalation against the Palestinian people" and called for an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing the royal court.

Israel says the Jordan Valley is vital to its security.

The Jordan Valley accounts for around one-third of the West Bank and Israeli right-wing politicians have long viewed the strategic area as a part of the territory they would never retreat from, seeing it as the country's eastern border.

Netanyahu said his annexation plans would not include Palestinian cities, such as the Jordan Valley's Jericho, though it would be encircled by Israeli territory.

The premier said US President Donald Trump's peace parameters "will place before us a great challenge and also a great opportunity".

Trump has thrown US support overwhelmingly in favor of Israel since taking office, including by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians.

Ahead of April elections, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967.