Arab League condemns Israel's plan to extend sovereignty to parts of West Bank

Arab countries condemned Israel's plan to de facto annex parts of the occupied West Bank as "a new war crime" against Palestinians, the Arab League said in a statement after a video conference meeting of Arab foreign ministers on Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in announcing a deal to form a unity government, has set July 1 for the start of cabinet discussions on extending Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements in the West Bank and annexing outright the area's Jordan Valley.

Palestinians have expressed outrage at Israel's plans to cement its hold further on land it seized in the 1967 Middle East war, the territory they are seeking for a state.