The foreign ministers of eight countries have issued a strong condemnation of Israel's recent move to declare large areas of the occupied West Bank as "state land" and to formalize procedures for registering and settling land ownership—actions not seen since 1967.
The ministers, representing 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 Türkiye, described the decision as a dangerous escalation that threatens regional stability and the prospects for peace.
In their joint statement, the ministers warned that the step amounts to accelerating illegal settlement activity, confiscating land, and enforcing Israeli control, undermining the rights of the Palestinian people.
"This illegal step constitutes a grave escalation aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity, land confiscation, entrenching Israeli control, and applying unlawful Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory and undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," they said.
The ministers emphasized that the measures violate international law and humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, and contravene several United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334.
They also noted that the move contradicts the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which highlighted the illegality of attempts to change the legal, historical, and demographic status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and stressed the obligation to end the occupation and prohibit acquisition of territory by force.
According to the statement, Israel's action is aimed at creating a new legal and administrative reality designed to consolidate control over the occupied land.
This, the ministers said, threatens the two-State solution, reduces the likelihood of a viable Palestinian state, and jeopardizes efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region.
The ministers reiterated their firm rejection of all unilateral actions that seek to alter the legal, demographic, or historical status of the occupied territories.
"The Foreign Ministers call upon the international community to assume its responsibilities and take clear and decisive steps to halt these violations, ensure respect for international law, and safeguard the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them their right to self-determination ending the occupation, and to establish their independent and sovereign State on the lines of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital," the statement concluded.
