New Delhi: Eight Muslim majority countries have issued a joint condemnation of Israel’s move to expand control over the occupied West Bank, warning that recent decisions amount to an illegal annexation push with direct impact on Palestinian land rights.
Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates expressed opposition to Israel’s approval of new measures easing settler land purchases and expanding administrative control. The statement described the steps as an attempt to impose unlawful Israeli sovereignty in occupied territory.
Israel’s security cabinet approved the measures on Sunday. Reports said the changes open access to land registries and allow Jewish Israelis to buy private property in the West Bank. The rules also place selected religious sites under Israeli management and increase oversight in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the move aims to deepen Israeli presence across the territory and reject the concept of a Palestinian state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the decision as de facto annexation and urged international intervention through the United Nations and the United States.
Palestinians view the development as the most serious annexation step since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. The new framework removes barriers preventing settlers from entering Palestinian city centres and owning land there.
In their statement, the eight countries said Israel seeks to impose a new legal and administrative order accelerating annexation and displacement of Palestinians. They reaffirmed Palestinian rights to self determination and statehood. They urged the international community to compel Israel to halt the escalation.
The European Union also criticised the move, calling it a step in the wrong direction. More than 700,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements, while around 3.3 million Palestinians remain under occupation and military control.
