Ankara: The foreign ministers of Trkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates strongly condemned Israel's recent measures in the occupied West Bank on Monday.
According to Anadolu Agency, a statement on the Turkish Foreign Ministry's official website highlighted that these measures aim to impose 'unlawful Israeli sovereignty, entrench settlement activity, and enforce a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank, thereby accelerating attempts at its illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people.'
The statement emphasized that 'Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory,' underlining that such actions "fuel violence and conflict in the region." It further noted the ministers' 'absolute rejection of these illegal actions, which constitute a blatant violation of international law, undermine the two-state solution, and represent an assault on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to realize their independent and sovereign state on the 4 June 1967 lines, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital.'
Furthermore, the statement pointed out that these actions 'undermine the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region.' The ministers stressed that Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank are illegal, 'null and void,' and violate UN Security Council resolutions. Resolution 2334 was specifically mentioned, condemning Israeli measures aimed at 'altering the demographic composition, character, and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.'
The statement also referenced the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which declared Israel's policies and continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal. It highlighted the 'necessity of ending the Israeli occupation' and confirmed the 'nullity of the annexation of occupied Palestinian lands.'
The ministers called on the international community to 'fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities' and pressure Israel to halt its escalation in the occupied West Bank. They stressed that fulfilling the Palestinian people's legitimate rights to self-determination and statehood, based on the two-state solution, international resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, remains 'the only path to achieving just and comprehensive peace' ensuring security and stability in the region.
Israel's Security Cabinet recently approved measures changing the legal and civil framework in the occupied West Bank to strengthen Israeli control. Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported that the decisions include repealing a law barring the sale of Palestinian land to Jews, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring building permit authority in a Hebron settlement bloc from the Palestinian municipality to Israel's civil administration.