Arab countries condemn new Israeli settlement plan in West Bank as ‘violation of international law’

By Tarek Chouiref

ISTANBUL (AA) – Jordan, Qatar, and Egypt on Thursday strongly condemned Israel’s approval of a new settlement project aimed at dividing the occupied West Bank, warning it would deepen tensions and undermine prospects for peace.

In separate statements, the three Arab countries described the plan, endorsed by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as a flagrant violation of international law and a direct assault on the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry denounced the decision as “a blatant violation of international law and an assault on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to realize their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

It warned that Israel’s “illegal and expansionist policies” fuel cycles of violence in the region, and urged the international community to act to halt Israel’s aggression in Gaza and its escalation in the West Bank.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned the move as a “serious breach of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334,” stressing its categorical rejection of Israel’s settlement expansion and forced displacement of Palestinians.

It reiterated Doha’s firm position in support of the Palestinian people and their right to an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the decision to build thousands of settler units near Jerusalem reflects Israel’s determination to “seize more Palestinian land and alter the demographic reality” of the occupied territories.

It decried “extremist” remarks by Smotrich promoting settlement expansion, warning such policies would fail to bring stability or security.

Cairo also cautioned against “delusional beliefs” about imposing “Greater Israel,” calling them unacceptable.

On Thursday, Israeli media reported that Smotrich approved the construction of 3,401 settler units in Ma’ale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and 3,515 more in surrounding areas. The project aims to split the West Bank into two parts, severing connections between its northern and southern cities and isolating East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry denounced the move as part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision for “Greater Israel,” warning it would entrench the occupation and eliminate the viability of a Palestinian state.

The international community, including the UN, considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law. The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution, a framework seen as key to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

In an advisory opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.