They warn that the \u2018illegal\u2019 moves \u2018aimed at imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty\u2019 and \u2018entrenching settlement activities\u2019 increase the risk of annexation<\/p>\n
Newly approved Israeli measures strengthen control of the territory, make it easier for settlers to buy land there, and provide greater powers to enforce laws on Palestinians<\/p>\n
Ephrem Kossaify<\/a>\n <\/p>\n NEW YORK CITY: Arab and Muslim nations at the UN on Tuesday condemned newly approved Israeli measures that tighten control over the occupied West Bank. The moves amount to a step toward illegal annexation and threaten to fuel wider conflict in the region, they warned.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Israel\u2019s Security Cabinet approved new rules designed to strengthen control over the territory, make it easier for Israeli settlers to buy land there, and give Israeli officials stronger powers to enforce laws on Palestinians.<\/p>\n Speaking on behalf of the UN\u2019s Arab Group, Syrian Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi warned that the measures were an attempt to impose \u201cunlawful Israeli sovereignty\u201d over occupied Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Arab Group condemns in the strongest terms the illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed at imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty, entrenching settlement activities, and imposing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank,\u201d he said outside the Security Council in New York.<\/p>\n Syria holds the presidency of the UN Arab Group this month, and Olabi spoke in the presence of dozens of representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League.<\/p>\n The new measures represent an acceleration of Israel\u2019s attempts to achieve the \u201cillegal annexation\u201d of the West Bank and the displacement of Palestinians, he said, stressing that \u201cIsrael has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory.\u201d<\/p>\n The Arab Group warned that Israel\u2019s \u201cexpansionist policies and illegal measures\u201d in the West Bank were contributing to escalating violence and instability across the region.<\/p>\n Olabi said the latest move constituted \u201ca flagrant violation of international law\u201d and an assault on the right of Palestinians to self-determination and statehood based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as their capital.<\/p>\n \u201cThese measures undermine the two-state solution and the ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The group said the latest decision by Israeli officials was \u201cnull and void\u201d and violated UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2334, which condemns Israeli actions that aim to alter the demographic composition and status of territory occupied since 1967.<\/p>\n It also cited a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice that concluded the continued presence of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory constituted a \u201cflagrant violation of international law\u201d and the occupation must end.<\/p>\n The Arab Group urged the international community to \u201cassume its legal and moral responsibilities\u201d and compel Israel to halt what it described as a dangerous escalation, reverse its policies and stop what it called inciting statements by Israeli officials.<\/p>\n The group welcomed a statement made by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, praising his reaffirmation of the illegal nature of settlements and his call for the reversal of Israeli measures that undermine a two-state solution.<\/p>\n The Arab Group\u2019s condemnation came as the Palestinian ambassador to the UN submitted a letter to the Security Council\u2019s president for February, British Ambassador James Kariuki, accusing Israel of \u201cgrave breaches of international law,\u201d including violations of Security Council resolutions and a July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice.<\/p>\n #WATCH<\/a>: @Palestine_UN<\/a>‘s representative Riyad Mansour expresses #Palestine<\/a>‘s \u201coutrage and condemnation\u201d of a recent Israeli Cabinet decision regarding annexation of Palestinian land, especially in the #WestBank<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/QdVdN616a4<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/q5Dnx7sWbQ<\/a><\/p>\n