A Series of Foreign Ministers Explain Israel's Policy to Expand West Bank Settlements Kangkangi World Law
JAKARTA - The line-up of foreign ministers (menlu) of Muslim countries strongly opposes Israel's new series of policies to expand illegal settlements in the West Bank, which is a blatant violation of international law.
Citing AN, Tuesday, February 10, the foreign ministers were from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey. They condemned Israel's new policy to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.
The Israeli government on February 8 through Finance Minister (Menkeu) Bezalel Smotrich and Israeli Defense Minister (Menhan) Katz announced, had approved a new policy to deepen Israel's control over the West Bank.
The new policy includes allowing Jewish Israelis to buy Palestinian land in the West Bank, establishing a transfer of authority from the Palestinian Authority's municipal government to Israel over the right to build settlements in a number of areas, one of which is Hebron.
Muslim countries' diplomats view Israel as blatantly violating international law and undermining the two-state solution.
They reiterated that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories. They also stressed that these measures undermine peace and stability efforts in the region.
According to the foreign ministers, the right of the Palestinian people to be free and sovereign cannot be revoked based on the June 1967 borders, in which East Jerusalem is its capital.
Thus, they continued, Israel's new policy is null and void, and is 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.
They added that Israel's new policy was also contrary to the opinion of the International Court of Justice in 2024, which concluded that Israel's policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories and its continued presence there were illegal.
The ministers also reiterated their call on the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities by forcing Israel to stop the dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank, including provocative statements made by its officials.
They stressed that the fulfillment of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their state, based on the two-state solution and in accordance with international law and the Arab Peace Initiative, is the only way to achieve a just and comprehensive peace that guarantees security and stability in the region.