Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
Abu Dhabi, 17 February / WAM / The Foreign Ministers of the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Turkey, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the State of Qatar strongly condemn the decision issued by Israel to classify lands in the occupied West Bank as so-called “state lands”, and agree to initiate procedures for registering and settling land ownership on a large scale in the occupied West Bank, for the first time. The first since 1967.
This illegal step constitutes a dangerous escalation aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity, confiscating land, consolidating Israeli control, and imposing illegal Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The Ministers affirm that these measures represent a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as a violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, most notably Resolution 2334.
This decision also contradicts the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which stressed the illegality of measures aimed at changing the legal, historical and demographic status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the necessity of ending the occupation, and the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force.
This step reflects an attempt to impose a new legal and administrative reality aimed at establishing control over the occupied territory, which undermines the two-state solution, destroys the prospects for establishing an independent and viable Palestinian state, and jeopardizes the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region.
The Ministers reiterate their categorical rejection of all unilateral measures aimed at changing the legal, demographic and historical status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and stress that these policies represent a dangerous escalation that will increase tension and instability in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the entire region. They also call on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take clear and decisive steps to stop these violations, ensure respect for international law, and safeguard the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, most notably their right to self-determination, ending the occupation, and establishing their independent, sovereign state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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