As the War in the Middle East Rages, Israel Speeds Up Annexation of West Bank

JAKARTA - Israel is using the crisis in the Persian Gulf region to intensify the expansion of illegal Zionist settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian said in his statement.

While briefing members of the diplomatic corps for Palestine on Tuesday, the Palestinian Foreign Minister warned that Israel was accelerating the expansion of illegal settlements and strengthening Israel's permanent control over Palestinian land.

He explained that the Zionist regime took advantage of the diversion of the international community's attention to the crisis in the region to accelerate annexation efforts through territorial expansion as well as legislative and administrative measures.

Israel's move, he said, as reported by Antara, undermined efforts to achieve a two-state solution and threatened the right of the Palestinian people to determine their own destiny.

Foreign Minister Aghabekian said that Israeli settlers carry out planned attacks against Palestinians every day, including murders and physical attacks, as well as against Palestinian property by burning houses and vehicles, destroying farmland, and stealing resources.

This, he said, was done "under the direct protection of the Israeli army".

He said that since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, and still continues to this day, seven Palestinians have been killed by illegal Zionist settlers.

Furthermore, the Palestinian Foreign Minister highlighted the continued harassment of the Jewish State against Muslim holy sites, including through the closure of the Al Aqsa Mosque since the war in Iran and restrictions on Muslim citizens who worship in the month of Ramadan.

Aghabekian called the move a "blatant violation of religious rights".

He then called on the international community to take legal or concrete steps to stop the violations and ensure the protection of the rights of the Palestinian people under international law.

Since the war in the Gaza Strip, attacks by Israeli forces and illegal settlers in the West Bank have left 1,133 Palestinians dead and injured 11,700 others.

Meanwhile, around 22,000 people are detained by the Zionist authorities, according to Palestinian government data.

Tensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28, which left 1,300 people dead, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, as well as Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties, infrastructure damage, and disruptions to global markets and world aviation.