The United Nations Middle East envoy has called on Israel to abandon its plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

Nickolay Mladenov: “The continuing threat of annexation by Israel of parts of the West Bank would constitute a most serious violation of international law, deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution, close the door to a renewal of negotiations, and threaten efforts to advance regional peace and a broader effort to maintain international peace and security.”

On Tuesday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared an end to security cooperation with Israel and the United States, and said all agreements between Palestine and the two countries are now null and void.