ALWAGHT- A coalition of eight nations and the European Union have issued a joint condemnation of Israeli settlement expansion and annexation in the West Bank.
A coalition of eight nations, including Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, has issued a strong joint condemnation of recent Israeli actions in the West Bank. They denounced measures aimed at expanding settlements and establishing a new administrative reality as illegal acts that accelerate de facto annexation and forced displacement. The ministers cited violations of international law, UN Security Council Resolution 2334, and the 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion, declaring such actions null and void.
Separately, the European Union condemned the Israeli security cabinet's latest decisions to tighten control over the West Bank, calling the moves "another step in the wrong direction." This criticism aligns with the broader international concern that these policies represent an entrenchment of illegal annexation and a violation of previous agreements.
The Israeli measures include sweeping changes to land registration, lifting confidentiality on land records to facilitate state intervention, and expanding powers to demolish Palestinian structures even in areas under Palestinian Authority control. These steps are expected to pave the way for significant settlement expansion and alter the territorial status quo, directly contravening past agreements like the 1997 al-Khalil Accord and exacerbating regional instability.
