Pakistan, seven other Muslim countries condemn Israel’s West Bank land designation

ISLAMABAD/CAIRO: The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Tuesday condemned what they described as Israel’s decision to designate land in the occupied West Bank as “state land” and to approve new land registration and settlement procedures.

According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, in a joint statement, the ministers said the move marked the first time since 1967 that such extensive measures had been taken and described it as an “illegal step” aimed at accelerating settlement activity and consolidating Israeli control over occupied territory.

They said the decision constituted a serious escalation that would undermine the rights of the Palestinian people and efforts toward a two-state solution.

The ministers stated that the measures violated international law and international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334, which calls on Israel to halt settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory.

They also cited an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice that found Israeli measures intended to alter the legal and demographic status of the occupied Palestinian territory to be unlawful.

According to the statement, the ministers warned that the decision could entrench Israeli control over the West Bank, erode prospects for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and jeopardise efforts toward a comprehensive peace in the region.

The eight countries reiterated their rejection of what they described as unilateral measures aimed at altering the legal and historical status of the occupied Palestinian territory.

They called on the international community to take “clear and decisive steps” to halt what they termed violations of international law and to safeguard the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, including the establishment of an independent state along the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.