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WORLD NEWS Friday 26 June 2020

A member of the Ambulance service looks out at people crowd-
ed on the beach in Bournemouth, England, Thursday June 25,
2020, as coronavirus lockdown restrictions have been relaxed.
Associated Press

On hottest day of

year, thousands cram In this Sept. 25, 2017 file photo, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Pro-
cess Nickolay Mladenov, attends a press conference at the (UNSCO) offices in Gaza City.
Associated Press
onto English beaches U.N. envoy: Israeli annexation

By PAN PYLAS London's Heathrow Airport.
Associated Press Extra police patrols have could unleash Mideast violence
LONDON (AP) — Police been brought in and se-
around the southern Eng- curity is in place to protect
lish coastal town of Bour- waste collectors who the JERUSALEM (AP) — The U.N. amid a flurry of interna- Netanyahu's government
nemouth urged people council said faced "wide- envoy for the Middle East tional pressure on Israel to has yet to publish details
to stay away Thursday as spread abuse and intimi- warned Israel on Thursday recant on its plans. of the proposed annexa-
thousands defied coro- dation" as they emptied that carrying out its plans On Wednesday, the tion but the prime minister
navirus social distancing overflowing bins. Roads, to annex parts of the West head of the Arab League has called for roughly 30%
rules and flocked to local which were gridlocked into Bank could set of a spasm warned a high-level U.N. of the territory — including
beaches on what was the the early hours, now have of violence that would up- meeting that any annexa- the strategically important
U.K.'s hottest day of the signs telling people the end Israeli-Palestinian re- tion would inflame tensions Jordan Valley — to be an-
year so far. area is full, according to lations and reverberate and endanger peace in nexed by Israel.
Amid widespread rule- the council. across the region. the Middle East, and could Even British Prime Minister
breaking, a "major inci- Council leader Vikki Slade Speaking to a group of for- ignite "a religious war in and Boris Johnson, a close Ne-
dent" was declared for the said she was "absolutely eign correspondents in Je- beyond our region." More tanyahu ally, said last week
area, much of which is rural appalled" at the scenes rusalem, Nickolay Mlade- than a thousand European that he strongly opposed
and only navigated by cars witnessed on the beach- nov, the U.N. special coor- lawmakers also signed a annexation of parts of the
on narrow lanes. This gives es — particularly at Bour- dinator for the region, said joint letter protesting Israel's West Bank, which would
additional powers to local nemouth and Sandbanks any Israeli unilateral action plan, saying such a move "amount to a breach of in-
authorities and emergency over the past day or two. will "will have economic would "be fatal" to hopes ternational law."
services to tackle the issue. "The irresponsible behav- and security repercussions for a peaceful resolution of U.N. Secretary-General
Images of the crammed iour and actions of so on the ground that will af- the Israeli-Palestinian con- Antonio Guterres urged
beaches appeared to many people is just shock- fect the lives of both Israelis flict. Israel on Tuesday to hear
prompt the British govern- ing and our services are and Palestinians." Emboldened by the Trump the global calls and not to
ment's chief medical offi- stretched to the absolute "Surely any such moves will administration's favorable carry on with its plans. He
cer into issuing a rare warn- hilt trying to keep everyone be met by counter moves Mideast plan, and eager told The Associated Press
ing on social media. safe," she said. "We have by the Palestinian Author- to establish its permanent that annexation would not
Professor Chris Whitty had no choice now but to ity and they have already eastern border, Israeli Prime only violate international
tweeted that COVID-19 declare a major incident started," he told members Minister Benjamin Netanya- law, but "would be a major
remains in "general circula- and initiate an emergency of the Foreign Press As- hu has promised to begin factor to destabilize the re-
tion" and that cases will rise response." sociation, noting how the annexing parts of the West gion."
again if people don't follow Earlier this week, Prime Min- Palestinians have absolved Bank that have Israeli set- Mladenov took a more
the guidelines. ister Boris Johnson gave themselves from abiding tlements, perhaps as early philosophical approach,
"Naturally people will want notice that a number of by past agreements with as next week. saying annexation would
to enjoy the sun but we the lockdown restrictions Israel. Israel captured the West do more than just extin-
need to do so in a way that will be eased from July 4, "For now we have the clear Bank in the 1967 Mideast guish the prospect of a
is safe for all," he said. including allowing pubs commitment by the Pales- war and in the decades two-state solution to solve
Whitty's intervention came and restaurants to open tinian leadership that they since has built dozens of the conflict.
after Bournemouth, Christ- their doors. He also ef- will do everything in their settlements that are now "If we remove entirely the
church and Poole council fectively announced that power to contain law and home to roughly 400,000 notion that through nego-
said services were "com- the two-meter (6.5-foot) order in the areas they Israelis. Most of the interna- tiations, through compro-
pletely overstretched" as social distancing rule will control," he said. "But as tional community considers mises, through discussions,
people headed to the sea- be reduced to a meter the money runs out and as the settlements illegal. The through dialogue, this goal
side on a day meteorolo- (around three feet) from the political prospects be- Palestinians seek the terri- can be achieved, I fear
gists confirmed as the hot- that date, a move that is come more grim, I feel that tory as part of a future in- that we really take the spirit
test of 2020. The mercury largely aimed at bolstering will become more difficult dependent state and have out of the peace process
hit 33.3 C (around 92 F) at businesses.q or impossible in the future." preemptively rejected the and put everyone is a very
His stern warning comes Trump plan. difficult position," he said.q