Eight Countries Condemn ’Israel’s’ West Bank Land Theft

By Staff, Agencies

Eight Arab and Islamic countries on Tuesday issued a unified condemnation of "Israel’s" latest decision to designate vast areas in the occupied West Bank as “state land” and initiate comprehensive land registration procedures for the first time since 1967.

In a joint statement released from Doha, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt described the move as a grave escalation aimed at accelerating settlement expansion, entrenching "Israeli" control, and imposing what they termed unlawful sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory.

The condemnation follows the "Israeli" cabinet’s approval on Sunday of a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as "state property", a move reportedly spearheaded by far-right Minister Bezalel Smotrich, alongside so-called Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Security Minister Israel Katz.

"Israeli" media reported ahead of the vote that the plan envisions the gradual settlement of 15% of Area C by 2030.

Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B, and C.

While Areas A and B fall under varying degrees of Palestinian administrative control, Area C, comprising roughly 61% of the territory, remains under full "Israeli" control and hosts the majority of illegal settlements. The newly approved policy focuses squarely on this zone.