Riyadh: The foreign ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Trkiye strongly condemned the decision issued by Israel to designate lands in the occupied West Bank as so-called "state land" and approve procedures for the registration and settlement of land ownership across extensive areas of the occupied West Bank for the first time since 1967.
According to Saudi Press Agency, this step is deemed illegal by these nations and is seen as a grave escalation aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity, land confiscation, and entrenching Israeli control. These actions are considered as applying unlawful Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory and undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The ministers affirmed that these measures represent a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, and also violate relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2334.
They emphasized that the decision contradicts the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This opinion underscores the illegality of measures intended to alter the legal, historical, and demographic status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, emphasizes the obligation to end the occupation, and prohibits the acquisition of territory by force.
The ministers asserted that this move attempts to impose a new legal and administrative reality to consolidate control over the occupied land. This undermines the two-state solution, erodes prospects for establishing an independent and viable Palestinian State, and jeopardizes the attainment of a just and comprehensive peace in the region.
They reiterated their categorical rejection of all unilateral measures aimed at altering the legal, demographic, and historical status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Such policies, they stressed, constitute a dangerous escalation that will further heighten tensions and instability in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the region as a whole.
The foreign ministers called upon the international community to assume its responsibilities and take clear and decisive steps to halt these violations. They urged for ensuring respect for international law and safeguarding the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily their right to self-determination, ending the occupation, and establishing their independent and sovereign State on the lines of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.