Pakistan and other Muslim countries condemn Israel’s West Bank annexation bills - call for global action
Assalamu alaykum - Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and over a dozen other Muslim nations issued a joint condemnation on Thursday against a set of Israeli bills that push for annexing the occupied West Bank, urging the international community to respond to these unlawful moves.
The announcement followed preliminary approval by far-right members of the Israeli Knesset of measures to apply Israeli law to parts of the occupied West Bank and to settlements that Palestinians see as part of a future independent state. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia, Türkiye, Djibouti, Oman, Gambia, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria, the Arab League and the OIC called the step a blatant breach of international law.
In their joint message shared by Pakistan’s foreign ministry, the countries rejected attempts to change the demographic character and legal status of Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, and cited the International Court of Justice advisory opinion that found such settlement construction and annexation to be illegal. “They reaffirm that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory,” the statement said.
The vote came as a US political visit was underway and after former US President Donald Trump had publicly warned Israel against annexation, saying he had given his word to Arab countries and that such a move could jeopardize US support.
The group of Arab and Muslim states also welcomed the ICJ advisory opinion of October 22, which reiterated Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure that people in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza, receive essential supplies and that relief operations - including through UN agencies like UNRWA - be allowed and facilitated. The statement noted concerns that UNRWA has been unable to bring in supplies since March, while still running vital services in Gaza and reporting a large backlog of humanitarian shipments.
The joint communique urged world powers to act to stop unilateral Israeli measures and to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities to prevent further dangerous escalation. The countries called for upholding the Palestinian right to an independent, sovereign state based on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
May Allah bring justice and relief to the Palestinian people.
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