Aboul Gheit stressed during his statement that the annex "will destroy any prospect for peace in the future."

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called on the Israeli government to abandon its annexation plans, reiterating longstanding goal of a two-state solution with an independent, contiguous, sovereign and a viable Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.

This came during a UN Security Council video conference in which several government ministers participated.

In the document, Guterres says an Israeli annexation would be “devastating” for hopes of fresh negotiations and an eventual two-state solution.

“If implemented, this would constitute a most serious violation of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations.”

Annexation is the term applied when a state unilaterally proclaims its sovereignty over other territories. It is forbidden by international law.