Netanyahu holds pre-election cabinet in part of West Bank he vowed to annex

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convening his final pre-election Cabinet meeting in a part of the West Bank he has vowed to annex if re-elected.

His government is meeting on Sunday at the Jordan Valley regional council rather than in Jerusalem. National elections are on Tuesday.

Mr Netanyahu has promised to extend Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and to annex Jewish settlements.

The move sparked a cascade of international condemnations. Critics say it could inflame the Middle East and eliminate any remaining Palestinian hope of establishing a state.

In Israel, it was widely viewed as Mr Netanyahu’s latest campaign stunt to draw right-wing voters.

He has also alleged fraud in Arab voting areas, claimed to have located a previously unknown Iranian nuclear weapons facility and said another war in Gaza is probably inevitable.