If Israel annexes settlements, it will reduce the prospects for peace in the region, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said on Sunday.
"Annexation is a big threat," Mladenov said. "It is prohibited under international law, and will undermine the rules-based international order."
The envoy warned that if Israel applies its laws to parts of the West Bank, "it will have legal, political and security implications that will be difficult to deal with, damage prospects for peace, and encourage radicalization on all sides.
"Annexation will also diminish the prospects for normalization of ties between Israel and Arab states," he stated.
Mladenov reiterated his praise for Israeli-Palestinian cooperation in fighting coronavirus, calling it "exemplary...especially in health-related issues," but added that "it did not create the necessary political drive to resolve the conflict."
He made the comments at a virtual conference organized by Mitvim: The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies and the Davis Institute for International Relations at Hebrew University.