Netanyahu inaugurates Israel unity government with renewed 'illegal' annexation pledge

"It's time to apply the Israeli law and write another glorified chapter in the history of Zionism," said Netanyahu, Israel's longest-ruling premier.

The leader of the right-wing Likud party has repeatedly promised to annex Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory if elected.

That ambition has been countered by international opposition and a year and a half of political deadlock, with three consecutive elections failing to result in a majority government.

Netanyahu and leading rival Benny Gantz, a former military chief and leader of the centrist Blue and White party, agreed to form a unity government last month in order to tackle the fallout of the coronavirus crisis.

Under the agreement, Netanyahu will continue as premier for 18 months before handing over the reigns to Gantz for the next 18 months. Gantz will start out as defence minister.

With 36 ministers, the cabinet will be Israel's largest in history. Their blocs will also have a similar number of ministers and virtual veto power over the other's major decisions.

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) May 15, 2020" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Annexation will no longer allow third parties to maintain that the occupation is temporary, or that the theft of Palestinian land is a red line #Nakba72 https://t.co/Z9UGkdKx6k — The New Arab (@The_NewArab) May 15, 2020

"The people wanted unity, and that is what it got," Netanyahu told parliament on Sunday.

Speaking on the contentious planned annexation of parts of the West Bank, the Israeli premier claimed the move would "distance us from peace, it will bring us closer".

The vast majority of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the occupied territory to be illegal under international law, and as such stands against the proposed annexation of the settlements and other coveted areas of the West Bank, such as the fertile Jordan Valley.

The United States has pledged to support the move as part of its "Deal of the Century" peace proposal unveiled earlier this year, however. The plan backs Israel's annexation of most Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley with few caveats, such as entering peace negotiations with the Palestinians. 

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday that the bloc would use "all our diplomatic capacities" to try to dissuade Israel from going ahead with the move, while analysts have said annexation could prompt a break-down in the 1994 peace treaty signed between Israel and its neighbour Jordan.