Cairo: Egypt strongly condemned Israel's ongoing illegal settlement policies following the approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement describing the move as a blatant violation of international law and relevant resolutions, including UN Security Council resolutions that affirm the illegality of settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. Cairo reiterated its full rejection of all forms of settlement expansion, considering it a major obstacle to achieving a two-state solution and establishing an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Egypt further urged the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, take effective measures to halt these violations, and protect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. This call aims to contribute to reviving the political process and achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East.
On Thursday, Israel approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the West Bank, including 'Ganim' and 'Kadim,' which were previously evacuated under the 2005 disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Days earlier, Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a government plan to allocate 2.7 billion shekels ($840,000) to establish 17 new settlements in the West Bank over the next five years and to develop colonial infrastructure in several areas.
Violence in the West Bank has surged since the start of Israel's military actions on Gaza, with Israeli forces or settlers killing more than 1,000 Palestinians since October 2023. Egypt has repeatedly emphasized that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank must remain a single territorial unit forming the basis of a two-state solution and a future Palestinian state, rejecting any political or geographic separation between them. It has also firmly rejected any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, describing such proposals as a 'red line' that would violate international law and threaten regional stability.