RAMALLAH/CAIRO, Feb. 9 — Several Arab and Islamic countries on Monday condemned Israel for its recent decisions to deepen control over the West Bank and expand Jewish settlements.
In a brief press statement, Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh urged the Arab League Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the United Nations Security Council to hold emergency meetings to discuss what he described as “dangerous decisions” by the Israeli government.
He stressed the need for a unified international stance to condemn the measures and demand their immediate reversal. Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of eight Arab and Muslim countries condemned in the strongest terms the “illegal” Israeli decisions and measures aimed at entrenching settlement activity.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory.
They warned against the continued “expansionist Israeli policies” and illegal measures pursued by the Israeli government in the occupied West Bank, voicing “absolute rejection of these illegal actions.”
The ministers said the Israeli measures constitute a blatant violation of international law and undermine the two-state solution, adding that such actions also undermine the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region.
The statement urged the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities and to compel Israel to halt its dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank.
On Sunday, Israel’s security cabinet approved several decisions aimed at altering the legal and civil status of the West Bank and strengthening Israeli control over the territory.
Among the controversial measures approved, the cabinet decided to repeal a law banning land sales to Jews, remove the requirement for special transaction permits, and revive a state land acquisition committee that had been inactive for about two decades.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War. The settlements it has built there and its ongoing military occupation are widely regarded as illegal under international law.
Palestinian officials have repeatedly warned that measures expanding settlements and extending Israeli civilian authority in the West Bank undermine prospects for establishing an independent Palestinian state. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
