The District Of Ratification Of Jewish Settlements In The West Bank, Indonesia: International Communities Must Be Unified Urging Israel

Construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. (Wikimedia Commons/Ralf Roletschek)

JAKARTA - Indonesia strongly condemns the ratification of Jewish settlements in the West Bank area by Israel, while reaffirming the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Nine Jewish settlers' outposts in the occupied West Bank were granted retrospective authorization on Sunday, with the Israeli government also announcing a new home to be built in the settlement. Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said there would be 10,000 homes.

"Indonesia strongly condemns Israel's decision to certify 9 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and plans to build 10,000 new houses in the region," the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday, February 15.

Furthermore, it is said, the decision is not only against international law and the United Nations, but has the potential to make the region turbulent.

"This decision contradicts international law and related UN resolutions, as well as sparked tensions and instability in the region," the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that the international community should urge Israel to stop its actions, reminiscent of a two-state solution.

"The international community must unite to urge Israel to stop these actions, continuing to urge the creation of a two-state solution," the ministry said.

It is known, such settlements are considered illegal by most world powers, as they take land where Palestinians want to establish a country.

Israel disagrees with this opinion, and since seizing the West Bank in the 1967 war, the government has successively established or approved 132 settlements.

In recent years, settlers have set up many outposts without government permission.

Some have been destroyed by police, others are allowed retrospectively. The nine approvals given on Sunday were the first for Prime Minister Netanyahu's Administration this time.

PM Netanyahu's office also said the planning committee would convene in the coming days to approve new settlement houses.

Related to that, the Government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday's announcement should be "cured and rejected".

"This is a challenge for US and Arabic efforts and provocations against the Palestinian people, and it will cause more tension and escalation," said President Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.