US secretary of state says preliminary move to apply Israeli law in occupied land is ‘counterproductive’ and a threat to peaceMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Wednesday warned Israel against annexing the West Bank, calling lawmakers’ preliminary vote to extend sovereignty in the occupied area and the surge in settler violence there a “threat to peace.”A bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move tantamount to the annexation of land Palestinians want for a state, won preliminary approval from Israel’s parliament on Wednesday, barely a week after Donald Trump pushed through a deal aimed at ending a two-year Israeli offensive in Gaza. Continue reading...