Muslim nations condemn Israel over West Bank land grab

Israel has designated lands in the occupied territories as “state property” in a move hailed by its backers as a “settlement revolution”

A group of eight Muslim-majority nations has condemned Israel over its latest decision to tighten its grip on the occupied Palestinian territories, accusing it of breaching international law and violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a proposal, made by hardline nationalist ministers over the weekend, to designate large areas of the West Bank as “state property” for the first time since the occupation began in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. The move builds on last week’s cabinet decision to make land registries in the area public rather than private, making it easier for Jewish settlers to purchase real estate.

The group of eight Muslim-majority nations – Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – condemned Israel’s action in a joint statement on Tuesday.

They argued that the move constitutes a blatant violation of international law and breaches multiple UN Security Council resolutions, “foremost among them Resolution 2334,” which calls on Israel to halt settlement activities in the West Bank. 

“This illegal step constitutes a grave escalation aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity, land confiscation, entrenching Israeli control, and applying unlawful Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the statement reads.

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The eight nations urged the international community to immediately take “clear and decisive steps” against Israel to halt its illegal activities and protect Palestinian rights. Shortly after the Israeli government announced its decision, the Palestinian presidency strongly condemned the move, stating that it effectively voided multiple signed agreements and openly contradicted UN Security Council rulings.

Hardline Israeli nationalists have welcomed the cabinet decision as a “true revolution” destined to accelerate the settlement process and to restore “order and governance” in the West Bank. “The State of Israel is taking responsibility for its land and is acting according to the law, transparently and decisively,” one of the move’s sponsors, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has said. 

The Israeli government has long been seeking to annex the West Bank despite widespread international opposition to the move and the position of its main ally, the United States. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned West Jerusalem against the move, insisting that the annexation “is not going to happen.”