Doha, February 17 (QNA) - The Foreign Ministers of the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Turkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Republic of Egypt strongly condemn the decision issued by Israel to classify West Bank lands into so-called "state property", and to approve large-scale procedures for land registration and settlement in the occupied West Bank, for the first time since 1967.

This illegal step constitutes a dangerous escalation aimed at accelerating unlawful settlement activity, land confiscation, entrenching Israeli control, and imposing illegal Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, thereby undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

The ministers affirm that these measures represent a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as a violation of relevant Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2334.

This decision also contradicts the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice regarding the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which stressed the illegality of measures aimed at altering the legal, historical, and demographic status of the occupied Palestinian territory, the necessity of ending the occupation, and the prohibition of the acquisition of land by force.

This step reflects an attempt to impose a new legal and administrative reality intended to consolidate control over the occupied land, undermining the two-state solution, eroding the prospects of establishing an independent and viable Palestinian state, and jeopardizing the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

The ministers reiterate their categorical rejection of all unilateral measures aimed at changing the legal, demographic, and historical status of the occupied Palestinian territory, stressing that these policies constitute a serious escalation that will further increase tension and instability in the occupied Palestinian territory and the region as a whole.

They also call on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take clear and decisive steps to halt these violations, ensure respect for international law, and safeguard the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to self-determination, the end of the occupation, and the establishment of their independent and sovereign state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. (QNA)