Zahava Galon
Zahava GalonFlash90

Meretz chief Zahava Galon blasted what she termed the proposed “unilateral annexation” of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, warning on Sunday that Israel would pay “a heavy price” for the Netanyahu government’s actions.

“There is an attempt by the Israeli government in recent years to Judaize eastern Jerusalem, to create facts on the ground that will block territorial continuity in the Palestinian Authority so as to prevent a Palestinian state,” Galon told Army Radio on Monday.

Galon’s comments came a day after the Security Cabinet moved to push off deliberation on the proposed annexation of Maale Adumim, a city of 40,000 near Jerusalem, until after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu meets with President Donald Trump in February.

Despite the delay, however, Netanyahu vowed to annex the city, which would likely be retained by Israel even in the event of final status agreement establishing a Palestinian state.

But Galon slammed the proposed annexation, calling it part of a policy of “bullying” by the Netanyahu government.

“The future annexation of Maale Adumim, Gush Etzion, Kiryat Arba, and others need to be within the framework of negotiations for a peace agreement. I don’t understand the bullying behavior of the government, as if now suddenly everything is permissible.”