Joint statement warns annexation attempt undermines two-state solution and calls for global action
A Palestinian carries the body of his 5-month-old brother, Ahmed Al-Nader, who was reportedly killed the day before along with other members of his family during an Israeli bombing of a school-turned-shelter in Gaza’s Tuffah neighborhood, ahead of his funeral. PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan and seven other Muslim countries on Monday condemned what they described as Israel’s repeated violations of the ceasefire in Gaza and its “unlawful decisions and measures” aimed at imposing illegal sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, according to a joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.
The statement, issued by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, rejects Israeli actions aimed at consolidating settlement activities and imposing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank. The ministers said the measures accelerated attempts at illegal annexation and displacement of the Palestinian people, and reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory.
The ministers warned that continued Israeli expansionist policies and illegal measures in the occupied West Bank were fueling violence and conflict in the region.
They expressed their “absolute rejection” of these actions, calling them a blatant violation of international law that undermines the two-state solution and infringes on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent and sovereign state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital. The statement said such measures also undermine ongoing efforts towards regional peace and stability.
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The foreign ministers declared the Israeli measures “null and void” and in clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334, which condemns actions aimed at changing the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
They also referred to the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which found Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as its continued presence there, illegal, and affirmed the need to end the occupation and the nullity of the annexation of occupied Palestinian lands.
The ministers urged the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and force Israel to stop what they called a dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank, as well as inciting statements by Israeli officials.
They stressed that realizing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood, based on the two-state solution in accordance with international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, remains the only path to a just and comprehensive peace guaranteeing security and stability in the region.
