International Bloc of 20 Countries Demands Israel Immediately Reverse West Bank Annexation Decisions

Foreign ministers from 20 Arab, Islamic, and European countries expressed their strong condemnation of Israeli moves aimed at expanding illegal control over occupied West Bank territories. A joint statement issued by these countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, France, and Turkey, stated that recent Israeli actions represent a dangerous escalation that threatens the prospects for achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

Signatory countries to the statement, published by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, affirmed that decisions to reclassify Palestinian lands as 'state lands' and accelerate the pace of settlement construction constitute a blatant violation of international law. The ministers pointed out that these steps directly contradict UN Security Council resolutions and the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, necessitating international action to halt them.

The collective statement demanded that the Israeli government immediately reverse all decisions aimed at creating permanent changes in the legal and political status of the occupied territories. The ministers also stressed the importance of ending the escalating settler violence against Palestinian citizens and the necessity of holding all those responsible for the grave violations committed in various cities and villages of the West Bank accountable.

Regarding occupied Jerusalem, the ministers warned against undermining the existing historical and legal status in East Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites. The statement affirmed the pivotal role of the historical Hashemite custodianship in protecting these holy sites, considering that repeated violations in the holy city pose a direct threat to security and stability at both regional and international levels.

The twenty countries called on the occupation authorities to immediately release the Palestinian tax revenues held by them and to commit to transferring them in accordance with the provisions of the Paris Economic Protocol. The statement clarified that these financial revenues are an essential lifeline to enable the Palestinian Authority to provide necessary services to the residents of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under current circumstances.

The ministers reiterated their countries' firm commitment to achieving a lasting peace based on the two-state solution and in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international legitimacy resolutions. They stressed that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders is the fundamental and sole condition for achieving regional integration and true stability in the Middle East.

These diplomatic moves come after the Israeli government recently approved decisions allowing the seizure of vast areas of Palestinian land and their transfer to 'state property.' The Ministerial Committee for National Security Affairs (the Cabinet) also approved measures granting the occupation authorities broad administrative and civil powers within areas under the Palestinian Authority's administration, a move described as a silent de facto annexation.

On the ground, the West Bank has witnessed an unprecedented escalation since October 2023, with official sources reporting the martyrdom of more than 1,115 Palestinians and the injury of thousands by the bullets of occupation forces and settlers. The pace of arrests has also increased to include about 22,000 citizens, amid a systematic policy aimed at imposing a new demographic and geographical reality that complicates the path of any future political settlement.

Israel's recent decisions to reclassify Palestinian lands as 'state lands' constitute a flagrant violation of international law and Security Council resolutions.