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PARIS, Sept. 11-- France on Wednesday warned against any project that would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach lasting peace in the Middle East, reiterating that the two-state solution was crucial to end the years-long conflict. "France calls on the parties to refrain from any measure likely to undermine the two-state solution, the only way to satisfy the legitimate aspirations of the Israelis and the Palestinians," said the French Foreign Ministry in a statement. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his plan to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley if his party wins re-election scheduled on Sept. 17. The 2,400-sq-km Jordan Valley, which accounts for nearly 30 percent of the West Bank, is regarded to be strategic both in terms of security and agriculture. Israel seized the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians wish to establish an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. | 
