Cairo: Egypt, alongside several Arab and Islamic countries, has expressed strong condemnation of Israel's recent decision to designate lands in the occupied West Bank as "state land." The move marks the first such procedure for the registration and settlement of land ownership in the region since 1967.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Trkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have collectively denounced the decision, viewing it as a significant escalation that aims to accelerate illegal settlement activities. They argue that this step facilitates land confiscation, strengthens Israeli control, and unlawfully extends Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory, undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The ministers emphasize that these actions violate international law and humanitarian principles, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention. The measures also contravene United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which highlight the illegality of attempts to alter the legal, historical, and demographic status of the region, call for an end to the occupation, and prohibit the acquisition of territory by force.
The decision is perceived as an effort to impose a new legal and administrative reality, consolidating control over occupied lands. This, according to the ministers, threatens the two-state solution, diminishes the prospects for an independent Palestinian state, and jeopardizes the possibility of achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region.
Reaffirming their rejection of unilateral measures that alter the status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the ministers warn that such policies escalate tensions and instability. They urge the international community to take decisive steps to halt these violations, uphold international law, and protect the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.