THE top United Nations envoy in the Middle East told Israel on Wednesday it should abandon its plans to annex parts of the West Bank, warning that going ahead would violate international law and deal “a devastating blow” to the two-state solution.

Nikolay Mladenov also called on the United States, Russia and the European Union to work with the U.N. to quickly come up with a proposal to enable the four parties in the so-called Middle East Quartet to take up their mediation role and work with countries in the region for peace.

“Israel must abandon the threat of annexation,” he said. “The Palestinian leadership must re-engage with all members of the Quartet.”

Mladenov told the U.N. Security Council that in the coming weeks all sides should work to preserve the prospect of a negotiated two-state resolution to the conflict.

“These efforts must begin immediately, there is no time to lose,” he said. “The fate of the Palestinian and Israeli people must not be determined by destructive unilateral action that cements divisions and may put peace beyond our reach in our lifetime.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to annex the Jordan Valley and Jewish settlements in the West Bank in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan, which overwhelmingly favors Israel and was rejected by the Palestinians.

Netanyahu formed a new Israeli Government earlier this month with his chief rival, Benny Gantz, and the coalition agreement allows the prime minister to present an annexation proposal to the government as soon as July 1.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said late Tuesday the Palestinian Authority will no longer be committed to any signed agreements with Israel or the United States, following Israel’s annexation pledge.

(SD-Agencies)