On 10 September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to annex the Jordan Valley if he wins the elections. He made the announcement during an electoral speech transmitted on Israeli TV: “Today, I announce my intention, after the establishment of a new government, to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea”, said the Likud’s candidate. The Jordan Valley and the northern Death Sea represent 30% of the West Bank’s territory and count with 65.000 Palestinians and 11.000 Israeli settlers. Reacting to the announcement, Palestinian PM Mohammed Shtayyeh called the Israeli leader “a prime destroyer of the peace process”. Arab nations condemned the plan and Saudi Arabia called for an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The EU and the UN also criticized the annexation prospects as “illegal”. And Russian FM Sergey Lavrov expressed concerns for what could “lead to a dramatic escalation of tensions in the region”.