File Photo: Palestinian journalist wearing a vest marked 'press'walks past Israeli soldiers in Jenin, occupied West Bank. AFP
This came in a joint statement by Egypt, Bahrain, Indonesia, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Nigeria, as well as the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
On Wednesday, the Israeli Knesset voted 71-13 in favour of a non-binding draft resolution supporting the imposition of so-called “Israeli sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank, a move that would initiate the annexation process.
The Arab and Islamic joint statement considered the Knesset’s approval of the declaration a blatant and unacceptable violation of international law and a flagrant breach of relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, foremost among which are Resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and 2334 (2016).
These resolutions affirm the invalidity of all measures and decisions seeking to legitimize the occupation, including settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.
In a related statement, the OIC expressed on Wednesday its rejection and strong condemnation of the vote, describing it as a dangerous escalation aimed at consolidating the illegal colonial occupation and undermining the two-state solution.
The statement also reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT).
"This unilateral move has no legal effect and cannot alter the OPT’s legal status, particularly East Jerusalem, which remains an integral part of the territory," it stressed.
On Wednesday, the Arab and Islamic states emphasized that such Israeli actions fuel growing regional tension, exacerbated by Israel's aggression on Gaza and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe.
The statement comes as Israel ratchets up intensified military operations across the occupied West Bank, killing hundreds and demolishing hundreds of homes, in addition to building more settlements in the occupied territories.
It also comes as the 2.3 million population of Gaza have been facing starvation, with tens succumbing to death from hunger, as the Israeli blockade on the entry of all food, water, and medicine nears its fifth month.
In recent days, images of emaciated people in Gaza, many dead and others dying, including children, have sent shivers down the spines of millions around the world.
On Monday, 25 Western countries, along with the EU’s crisis commissioner, issued a joint statement calling for an immediate end to Israel’s war on Gaza and the immediate and unfettered entry of humanitarian aid to the strip.
This statement, which Egypt welcomed, condemned Israel's blockade on the entry of aid to the strip and rejected any forced displacement or settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories.
On Wednesday, more than 100 international aid organizations affirmed that mass starvation is spreading in the strip and called for the immediate end of the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
The Arab and Islamic joint statement further called on the international community, including the UNSC and all relevant actors, to shoulder their legal and moral responsibilities and take action that halts Israel’s illegal policies aimed at imposing a fait accompli by force.
"Such policies undermine the prospects for a just and lasting peace and the two-state solution," it affirmed.
The Arab and Islamic nations also asserted their commitment to the two-state solution based on international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative and to an independent sovereign Palestinian state based on the 4 June 1967 borders.
In 2024, the Knesset passed a similar agenda motion opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state, with a vote of 68-9.
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