8 Arab and Islamic countries condemn Israel's illegal measures to impose sovereignty over the West Bank

SadaNews - Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli decisions and measures that aim to impose illegal Israeli sovereignty, entrench settlement activities, and create a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank.

The eight countries stated that these measures would "accelerate attempts to illegally annex the territory and displace the Palestinian people," and they reiterated that "there is no sovereignty for Israel over the occupied Palestinian land."

The ministers warned against "the continuation of Israeli expansionist policies and illegal measures taken by Israel in the occupied West Bank, which lead to escalating violence and conflict in the region."

The ministers expressed their absolute rejection of these illegal measures, which constitute "a flagrant violation of international law, undermine the two-state solution, and represent an attack on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with sovereignty along the lines of June 4, 1967, with its capital in occupied Jerusalem."

They stated that these measures "undermine ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region."

"Invalid and Null Decisions"

The ministers affirmed that these illegal measures in the occupied West Bank are "invalid and null, and represent a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334, which condemns all Israeli actions aimed at changing the demographic composition and character of the occupied Palestinian land since 1967, including East Jerusalem. Moreover, the advisory opinion issued in 2024 by the International Court of Justice concluded that Israel's policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory, and its continued presence there, are illegal, and emphasized the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation and the nullification of the annexation of occupied Palestinian territories."

The ministers renewed their call to the international community to "bear its legal and moral responsibilities, and compel Israel to halt its serious escalation in the occupied West Bank and the inflammatory statements of its officials."

The ministers emphasized that "meeting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people in self-determination and establishing their state based on the two-state solution and in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative is the only way to achieve a just and comprehensive peace that guarantees security and stability in the region."

What are the Israeli decisions?

The Israeli political-security cabinet approved a series of decisions on Sunday aimed at changing the judicial and civil reality in the occupied West Bank and deepening Israeli control in the region, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.

The authority stated that "one of the most prominent decisions is to abolish the Jordanian law that prohibited the sale of land to Jews, and to transfer building powers in Hebron and the Ibrahimi Sanctuary and other holy places from the municipality to the planning institutions of the civil administration," claiming that this would facilitate construction and development operations, referring to the reinforcement of Jewish settlement activities which the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is promoting.

The cabinet also approved the cancellation of the need for complex permits that were imposed on Jews to buy land there, allowing them to deal as they do within the Green Line.

The Israeli sites "Ynet" and "Haaretz" quoted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz as saying that "the decisions include the cancellation of regulations that have been in place for decades preventing Jews from purchasing land in the West Bank."