Around 20 govts. warn Israel secretly annexing West Bank
A group of nearly 20 countries has slammed Israel for tightening its grip on the West Bank, which amounts to a "de facto annexation, warning that these actions are designed to dismantle Palestinian statehood and permanently alter the region's political landscape.
Israel has approved a series of initiatives this month backed by far-right ministers, including launching a process to register land in the West Bank as "state property" and allowing Israelis to purchase land there directly.
The moves "are part of a clear trajectory that aims to change the reality on the ground and to advance unacceptable de facto annexation", the 18 mostly European or Muslim-majority countries said, in a joint statement on Monday.
"Such actions are a deliberate and direct attack on the viability of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution."
The statement was signed by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, European powers France and Spain, as well as Indonesia, Brazil and Turkey, among others.
It was also endorsed by the secretaries general League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas resistance movement hailed the statement, describing it as a “step in the right direction in confronting the occupation's expansionist schemes, which constitute a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions.”
Hamas called upon those governments and all the other countries “to translate the statement's outcomes into concrete, practical steps by imposing deterrent sanctions and pressuring the fascist occupation government to halt its policies aimed at imposing a reality of annexation, settlement expansion, and forced displacement.”
It also demanded collective efforts “to stop the comprehensive and systematic aggression against our Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.”
In addition to around three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 settlers live in West Bank settlements and outposts.
The cabinet of Benjamin Netanyahu has fast-tracked settlement expansion, approving a record 52 settlements in 2025.
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