Indonesia and Six Countries Condemn Israeli Cabinet Decision on West Bank

JAKARTA - Indonesia along with seven Muslim or Islamic countries condemned the Israeli Cabinet's decision to make it easier for its citizens to buy land in the occupied West Bank, Palestine.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar strongly condemned Israel's illegal decisions and actions aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty in violation of the law, strengthening settlement activities, and imposing new legal and administrative realities in the occupied West Bank, thus accelerating illegal annexation efforts and the expulsion of the Palestinian people. They reiterated that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories, in a joint statement issued Monday.

"The ministers warn against Israel's continued expansionist policies and illegal actions taken by the Israeli government in the occupied West Bank, which trigger violence and conflict in the region," the statement read in the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' upload on social media X, Monday (9/2).

Israel's security cabinet on Sunday approved a series of measures aimed at expanding Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, paving the way for further settlement expansion in the Palestinian territory.

The Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, United Arab Emirates and Qatar condemned in the strongest terms the illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed at imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty, entrenching settlement activity, and…

— MoFA Indonesia (@Kemlu_RI) February 9, 2026

"The Security Cabinet today approved a series of decisions that fundamentally change the legal and civil reality in Judea and Samaria," said a statement, using the biblical names for the West Bank, AFP reported.

The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs and his seven counterparts expressed their absolute rejection of illegal actions which were considered as a blatant violation of international law, damaging the two-state solution, and an attack on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to realize their independent and sovereign state on the 4 June 1967 line, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital.

"This action also undermines ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region," the ministry said.

The measures, announced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Israeli Defense Minister Katz, include the elimination of decades-old regulations that bar Jews from buying land in the West Bank, according to a joint statement by the two ministers.

Smotrich said the move was aimed at "deepening our roots in all parts of the Land of Israel and burying the idea of a Palestinian state."

Meanwhile, Katz said, "Judea and Samaria are the heart of the country, and strengthening it is the main security, national and Zionist interest."

The Foreign Ministers stressed that "illegal actions in the occupied West Bank are null and void and constitute a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 2334, which condemns all Israeli actions aimed at changing the demographic composition, character, and status of the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, as well as the opinion of the International Court of Justice in 2024, which states that Israel's policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories and its continued presence are illegal, affirming the need to end the Israeli occupation, and the annulment of the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories."

The joint statement of the foreign ministers also renewed the call on the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities to force Israel to stop the dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank and provocative statements from its officials.

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