Israel faces criticism from Muslim countries over West Bank annexation plans

Eight Muslim-majority countries have issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s recent approval of new measures expanding its control over the occupied West Bank. The countries, including Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, expressed their strongest opposition to what they described as “unlawful Israeli sovereignty” in the territory.

According to a statement by Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz, the new rules will allow Jewish Israelis to purchase private real estate in the West Bank and access previously confidential land registries. The measures also grant Israeli authorities control over managing certain religious sites and increase supervision and enforcement in areas governed by the Palestinian Authority.

The joint statement from the eight countries accused Israel of attempting to establish a “new legal and administrative reality” that accelerates its “illegal annexation and displacement of the Palestinian people.” They reaffirmed Palestinians’ right to self-determination and statehood, urging the international community to intervene and compel Israel to halt its escalation.

The European Union has also condemned the Israeli move, describing it as another step in the wrong direction. The West Bank is a disputed territory that Palestinians seek for their future independent state, along with the Gaza Strip and occupied East Jerusalem. The region is currently under direct Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas.

According to reports, at least 694 Palestinians were driven from their homes in the West Bank due to Israeli settler violence and harassment in January alone, a number that has increased since Israel’s conflict with Palestinians in Gaza erupted in October 2023.

Source: Al Jazeera