Palestinian foreign ministry condemns Israeli plan to extend sovereignty to West Bank

Ahram Online , Monday 11 Nov 2024

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned recent calls by Israeli officials to extend Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, calling it a "blatantly colonial and racist" move that reflects Israel’s ongoing campaign of displacement and "extermination" against the Palestinian people.

West Bank
Pigeons fly in front of a large poster bearing a picture of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the occupied-West Bank city of Ramallah. AFP

 

The condemnation came in response to statements made by Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who recently expressed hopes and plans that Israel would extend sovereignty over the West Bank by 2025.

In a statement posted Monday on X, the Palestinian foreign ministry denounced Smotrich's remarks as part of a broader Israeli policy aimed at erasing the Palestinian entity and undermining the two-state solution, which has been the basis of international efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The ministry views these statements as a blatantly colonial and racist extension of the ongoing campaign of extermination and forced displacement against the Palestinian people,” the statement read.

“These actions show flagrant disregard for international legitimacy and consensus, especially on the two-state solution, and openly challenge the Arab-Islamic Summit held today in Riyadh and its resolutions.”

The ministry further accused the international community of failing to act decisively to halt Israel's actions in the occupied territories, which it described as “systematic war crimes” and “grave violations.”

The ministry argued this inaction has emboldened Israel’s right-wing government to intensify its settlement expansion and other measures aimed at eradicating Palestinian presence in the West Bank, including the continued destruction of Palestinian homes and displacement of Palestinian families.

“The international community’s longstanding failure to enforce United Nations resolutions on the Palestinian cause, along with inaction to halt Israel’s campaign of destruction, has emboldened Israel’s ruling right-wing to intensify its systematic war crimes,” the ministry stated.

It also expressed concern that such actions were eroding the prospects for peace and the creation of a Palestinian state.

The foreign affairs ministry urged a more forceful global response, calling on the United States and other international powers to take concrete actions to halt Israel's expansionist policies.

Specifically, the ministry demanded that the United Nations Security Council pass a resolution granting the State of Palestine full membership in the UN. This would boost Palestine’s diplomatic standing on the world stage.

“[The UNSC] should mandate an immediate end to Israel’s campaign of extermination and establish binding mechanisms to enforce the General Assembly’s resolution and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice,” the statement continued, calling for a more active role from international institutions in curbing Israel's actions in the occupied territories.

The ministry stressed that such sanctions were essential to halting Israel’s ongoing violations of Palestinian rights and securing a future grounded in justice and accountability for the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian foreign ministry’s condemnation also pointed to the broader implications for peace in the region, stressing that Smotrich’s statements and Israel's policies are a direct challenge to the framework of peace based on the two-state solution.

Most of the international community has long viewed Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank as illegal under international law and called for a halt to further expansion.

The statements from the Palestinian ministry come on the heels of an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh, which addressed the ongoing Israeli military actions and their impact on the region.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attended the summit, where Arab leaders reiterated their support for Palestinian statehood and condemned Israeli occupation policies.

In its statement, the Palestinian ministry called for a unified international effort to hold Israel accountable, emphasizing the importance of not allowing Israel’s continued occupation and annexation efforts to go unchecked.

It also called for international sanctions against Israel, including measures targeting Israeli leaders, settlement advocates, and extremist factions within Israel’s government and military.

“As Israel continues to disregard international law and its obligations under various UN resolutions, the international community must act decisively,” the statement concluded.

“Only through collective global action, including sanctions and diplomatic pressure, can Israel’s assault on Palestinian rights be halted and the prospects for peace and justice restored,” the statement said.

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