International condemnation mounts over Israeli settlement moves

ISTANBUL – The foreign ministers of Brazil, France, Spain and Turkey, along with counterparts from several other countries, have condemned recent Israeli decisions which they said amount to sweeping extensions of unlawful Israeli control over the occupied West Bank.

In a joint statement issued late on Monday by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the signatories said the changes were “wide-ranging,” including the reclassification of Palestinian land as so-called Israeli “state land,” the acceleration of what they described as illegal settlement activity, and the further entrenchment of Israeli administrative control.

The statement was also signed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar, in addition to the secretaries-general of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

On February 15, Israel’s cabinet approved additional measures aimed at tightening control over the West Bank and facilitating land purchases by settlers. Palestinians denounced the move as a “de facto annexation.”

The West Bank is one of the territories Palestinians seek for a future independent state. While much of it remains under Israeli military control, limited Palestinian self-rule is exercised in certain areas administered by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

The joint statement described Israeli settlements, and policies designed to expand them, as “a flagrant violation of international law” and a step towards what it called “unacceptable de facto annexation.” It added that such measures undermine ongoing efforts to promote peace and stability in the region and jeopardise any meaningful prospect of regional integration.

Earlier in February, eight countries, including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, strongly criticised Israel’s designation of certain areas in the occupied West Bank as state land, according to a separate statement published by Turkey’s foreign ministry.

Those countries warned that the policies constituted a “dangerous escalation that will further heighten tensions and instability” in both the territory and the wider region. They reiterated that the measures represent a “flagrant violation of international law” and called on the international community to “assume its responsibilities and take clear and decisive steps to halt these violations.”