The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have strongly condemned Israel’s decision to declare land in the occupied West Bank as so-called “state land” and to approve, for the first time since 1967, a large-scale land registration and ownership process.
In a joint communiqué issued by the eight Muslim countries, it was stated that the move was aimed at accelerating the establishment of illegal settlements, consolidating control over land and imposing unlawful sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories, thereby undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The foreign ministers termed the Israeli step a violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, stating that it was also contrary to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.
The statement further said that the decision would weaken the two-state solution and negatively affect prospects for a just and comprehensive peace in the region.
The ministers urged the international community to take effective and clear measures to halt such actions and to support the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign state based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
