Foreign ministers from Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have issued a strong condemnation of Israel’s latest measures in the occupied West Bank, denouncing them as unlawful steps toward annexation and the displacement of Palestinians.
In a joint statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Monday, the ministers accused Israel of attempting 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 statement emphasized that Israel "has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory" and labeled the actions as violations of international law that "fuel violence and conflict in the region."
The ministers referenced United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemns Israeli measures that alter the demographic and legal status of territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
Citing the 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, the statement reiterated the illegality of Israel’s continued presence and settlements.
The group called on the global community to meet its "legal and moral responsibilities" and pressure Israel to halt its recent escalations.
The international condemnation comes as Israel’s Security Cabinet approved new policies Sunday to expand Israeli control in the West Bank.
According to reports from Israel’s public broadcaster KAN and other outlets, the measures include repealing decades-old laws restricting the sale of West Bank land to Jews, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring building permit authority for the Hebron settlement bloc from Palestinian to Israeli control.
These steps also expand Israeli oversight and enforcement in areas previously under partial Palestinian Authority (PA) administration, including matters of construction, water use, and the protection of archaeological and environmental sites.
The moves have triggered reactions from across the region and beyond. The European Union condemned the decisions, describing them as "another step in the wrong direction."
"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.
Critics argue that the policy shifts further erode the viability of a two-state solution and undermine ongoing peace efforts.
The Israeli rights group Peace Now warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is pursuing a strategy that weakens the PA while effectively implementing de facto annexation.
Peace Now also expressed concern that these steps are being approved by the Security Cabinet without sufficient oversight or transparency, warning that such actions could spark greater conflict and hasten Israel’s international isolation.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the measures as dangerous, illegal, and a de facto annexation of Palestinian land.
He called for intervention from the United States and the U.N. Security Council. These developments occur just days before Netanyahu is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.
Despite growing international alarm, Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The measures come as Netanyahu, facing an election later this year, relies on a ruling coalition comprised largely of pro-settler members who advocate annexation of the West Bank – territory captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war.
Palestinians and international legal bodies, including the 2024 non-binding advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, maintain that Israel’s continued occupation and settlement building are illegal and should end immediately. Israel continues to dispute and disregard the advisory.