CAIRO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit condemned on Thursday the recent Israeli remarks on the planned annexation of parts of the West Bank.
"Those remarks reflect an unprecedented level of political recklessness among Israeli leaders," Abul Gheit said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz vowed to annex the Jordan Valley in coordination with the international community if he wins the upcoming election.
He deemed the area making up roughly 20 percent of the West Bank would remain part of the Jewish state in any future peace agreement.
Abul Gheit warned against the grave danger of throwing the Palestinian issue into the battle of electoral tricks.
The Israeli announcement will have "no practical effect of the legal status of the occupied lands," he said, noting that it will only lead to further escalation and undermine the chances of reaching a peaceful solution in the future.
The last round of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians broke down in 2014 amid Israeli expansion of the settlements in the West Bank.
Israel seized the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and has since controlled or blockaded them despite international criticism.
The Palestinians wish to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
