Arab foreign ministers condemn Israel's new West Bank measures
Statement warns actions undermine the two-state solution and international law
Foreign ministers from eight countries strongly condemned Israel’s recent measures in the West Bank, saying the steps violate international law and undermine prospects for peace. The statement followed sweeping decisions by Israel’s security cabinet on Sunday to reshape the territory’s civil and land framework.
In a joint declaration, the ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt said they rejected what they called “illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed at imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty” and entrenching settlement activity in the West Bank. The ministers warned that these policies, in their view, fuel violence and conflict and undermine efforts toward regional stability.
The condemnation came after Israel’s security cabinet approved a major policy overhaul on Sunday affecting civil, land, and administrative authority in the West Bank. The measures include opening previously confidential land registers to the public, repealing Jordanian-era laws that barred the sale of land to Jews, and expanding civil and law enforcement powers in Areas A and B, officials said. The cabinet also reactivated the Land Acquisition Commission and transferred planning authority over key sites in Hebron from the Palestinian municipality to the Israeli Civil Administration.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the changes as reinforcing Israel’s presence in the territory, while Defense Minister Israel Katz said they establish a permanent strategic anchor for settlement policy. Critics argue the decisions deepen Israeli control in the West Bank and make land acquisition and settlement expansion easier.
The Arab foreign ministers stressed that fulfilling what they described as the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative remains, in their words, the only path to achieving just and comprehensive peace, security, and stability in the region.