A group of Arab and Islamic states, spearheaded by Saudi Arabia, expressed strong condemnation of the Israeli Knesset’s approval of draft laws to impose sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Libya, Palestine, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Türkiye, Djibouti, Nigeria, Gambia, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a joint statement denouncing the Israeli move.
Blatant Violation
In the statement, the states said they condemn in the strongest terms the approval of Israeli Knesset of two draft laws aiming to impose a so called “Israeli sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank and illegal settlements.
They described the move as a blatant violation of international law, and of UN Security Council resolutions particularly Resolution 2334.
Moreover, the countries welcomed the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which reaffirmed Israel’s obligation under international humanitarian law to ensure that the population of the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, has access to essential humanitarian supplies through the UN and its entities, particularly the UNRWA.
Supporting Palestinian Statehood
Furthermore, the signatories warned against Israel’s ongoing unilateral actions and policies, calling on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities by compelling Israel to stop escalation and unlawful measures in the occupied Palestinian territory.
They also called for supporting the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights to establish their independent and sovereign state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, emphasizing that this is the only path toward a just and comprehensive peace that ensures security and stability in the region.
US Rejection
On Wednesday, Israel’s Knesset narrowly passed a symbolic preliminary vote on a bill to impose Israeli sovereignty on the occupied West Bank.
The move faced strong opposition from the US, as President Donald Trump threatened that Israel “would lose all of its support from the US” if it annexed the occupied West Bank, he told Time Magazine in an interview on October 15 published on Thursday.
Back in September, Trump warned against annexing the West Bank. “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. It’s not going to happen,” the US President told reporters at the time.
Most recently, the US Vice President, JD Vance, and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reiterated Trump’s stance as they visited Israel.
“The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. This will always be our policy,” he said before leaving Israel,” Vance said on Thursday before departing Israel.
“I think the president’s made clear that’s not something we can be supportive of right now,” Rubio told reporters as he was leaving for Israel, calling the move “counterproductive.”
