Jordan Valley Kobi Finkler Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday that the Jordan Valley is an integral part of Palestinian geography and that statements about its annexation to Israel are null and void.

Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting that convened in the PA village of Fasayil in the Jordan Valley, Shtayyeh said that the Palestinian government is committed to strengthening the “steadfastness of the Palestinian people" in the Jordan Valley.

He added that the Palestinians were in the Jordan Valley before the "settlers", whose presence in the “West Bank” is illegal. Shtayyeh described Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's announcement of future annexation of the Jordan Valley as an attempt to garner support before the Knesset elections.

Shtayyeh noted that the cabinet’s meeting in the Jordan Valley was intended to demonstrate the "Palestinian character" of the region, adding that the PA intends to file lawsuits against Israel in the International Court of Justice over "occupation and exploitation of the Palestinian land."

The PA officially joined the ICC on April 1, 2015, and has since then filed a series of legal complaints with the court against Israel on a variety of issues.

Tags: Jordan Valley , Mohammad Shtayyeh