Israel has classified lands in the occupied territories as “state property,” a move that its supporters have hailed as a “settlement revolution.”
A group of eight countries with Muslim majorities has condemned Israel for its recent decision to strengthen its control over the occupied Palestinian territories. They accuse Israel of breaking international law and violating several UN Security Council resolutions.
Israel’s security cabinet has given the green – light to a proposal put forward by hardline nationalist ministers over the weekend. This proposal designates large parts of the West Bank as “state property” for the first time since the occupation started after the Six – Day War. This decision follows last week’s cabinet choice to make the land registries in the area public instead of private, which makes it simpler for Jewish settlers to buy real estate.
The group of eight Muslim – majority nations – Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning Israel’s action.
They claim that this move is a blatant violation of international law and goes against multiple UN Security Council resolutions, “especially Resolution 2334,” which demands that Israel stop its settlement activities in the West Bank.
“This illegal measure represents a serious escalation aimed at speeding up illegal settlement activities, seizing land, strengthening Israeli control, and imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the statement says.
The eight nations called on the international community to immediately take “clear and decisive actions” against Israel to stop its illegal activities and safeguard Palestinian rights. Soon after the Israeli government announced its decision, the Palestinian presidency strongly criticized the move, stating that it effectively nullified several signed agreements and openly contradicted the rulings of the UN Security Council.
Hardline Israeli nationalists have welcomed the cabinet decision as a “true revolution” that is expected to speed up the settlement process and restore “order and governance” in the West Bank. “The State of Israel is taking responsibility for its land and is acting in accordance with the law, transparently and decisively,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the proponents of the move, has said.
The Israeli government has long been trying to annex the West Bank, despite the widespread international opposition to this move and the stance of its main ally, the United States. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned West Jerusalem against this move, insisting that the annexation “will not happen.”