Palestinian Presidency: Converting West Bank Lands to 'State Property' is De Facto Annexation and Dangerous Escalation

The Palestinian Presidency issued a strongly worded statement warning of the catastrophic repercussions of the occupation government's decision to convert vast areas of West Bank land into what it calls 'state property'. The Presidency affirmed that this measure poses a direct threat to regional security and stability, and constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and legitimate resolutions that criminalize settlements and deem them null and void.

In its official statement, the Presidency considered this rejected and condemned Israeli step as an explicit declaration of the beginning of the implementation of actual annexation plans for the occupied Palestinian land. It clarified that the primary goal of this policy is to entrench the reality of the occupation by expanding illegal settlements, which undermines the foundations of the political process and jeopardizes any future opportunities for achieving a just and comprehensive peace.

Official sources also indicated that this decision represents an effective termination of the agreements signed between the two sides, and is in absolute contradiction with UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution No. 2334. It stressed that settlements in all their forms in the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, lack any legal status and must be stopped and dismantled immediately in accordance with international will.

In a related context, the Palestinian Presidency affirmed that these unilateral measures will not grant the occupation any legal or historical legitimacy over a single speck of the land of the State of Palestine. It reiterated that the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are a single geographical unit and occupied territory under international law, and that attempts to change their demographic and geographical reality will not alter the fixed truth.

The Presidency concluded its statement by calling on the international community, especially the UN Security Council and the American administration, for urgent and immediate intervention to stop these accelerating Israeli violations. It called for obliging the occupation government to comply with international legitimacy resolutions and to halt the systematic escalation aimed at dragging the region towards more violence and tension, emphasizing the necessity of providing international protection for the Palestinian people and their land.

The rejected and condemned Israeli decision is considered a de facto annexation of Palestinian land, and a declaration of the beginning of the implementation of annexation plans, with the aim of entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement.