FM of Luxembourg: 'Too early to talk about sanctions against Israel'

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister, Jean Asselborn, has sent a sharply worded message to Israel, expressing his opposition to the government's declared intent to apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria. Asselborn is seen as being behind the European initiative to thwart the move.

In an interview with Yisrael Hayom, Asselborn stated, "First of all, I think that annexation would deal a fatal blow to the two-state solution. It could lead to the creation of a single entity locked into a perpetual state of unequal rights and conflict. Secondly, I oppose annexation as a matter of principle, in any part of the world, as it constitutes a flagrant violation of international law. In 2014 I opposed the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia, for example. Annexation leads to a disruption of the international order which is based on the legal framework that we set up after the Second World War," in an attempt to avoid future conflict.

Nonetheless, Asselborn noted that, "It's still too early to talk about sanctions. We hope that annexation won't happen and we are using all diplomatic means to ensure that the occupied Palestinian territories are not annexed to Israel. We prefer to use preventative measures," he concluded.