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UAE, 7 other nations condemn Israel's 'illegal' settlement expansion in West Bank
The foreign ministers warned that Israel's continued expansionist policies and illegal measures in the West Bank fuel violence and conflict in the region
- PUBLISHED: Mon 9 Feb 2026, 2:51 PM UPDATED: Tue 17 Feb 2026, 1:02 PM
The foreign ministers of the UAE, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt have strongly condemned Israel's recent decisions and measures in the occupied West Bank. They described these actions as attempts to impose "unlawful Israeli sovereignty, entrenching settlement activity, and enforcing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank, thereby accelerating attempts at its illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people."
The Ministers reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory.
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They warned that Israel's continued expansionist policies and illegal measures in the West Bank fuel violence and conflict in the region. They expressed their absolute rejection of these illegal actions, which constitute a blatant violation of international law, undermine the two-state solution, and represent an assault on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to realise their independent and sovereign state on June 4, 1967 lines, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital. Such actions also undermine the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region.
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The Ministers emphasised that these illegal measures in the occupied West Bank are null and void under international law, constituting a clear violatin of UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334, which condemns all Israeli measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character, and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem. They also referenced the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which found Israel’s occupation and policies in the Palestinian territories to be illegal, affirmed the need to end the occupation, and declared any annexation of Palestinian land null and void.
They renewed their call on the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities and to compel Israel to halt its dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank and the inciting statements of its officials.
They stressed that the fulfillment of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood, based on the two-state solution in accordance with resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, remains the only path to achieving just and comprehensive peace that ensures security and stability in the region.
