Palestinian men sit on the rubble of a Palestinian home that was demolished by the Israeli army in the village of Shuqba, west of the city of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 9, 2026. AFP
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar said Israel’s decisions to impose unlawful sovereignty, expand settlements, and create a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied territory have no legal validity.
The Israeli measures are null and void under international law and violate UN Security Council resolutions, notably Resolution 2334, which condemns attempts to alter the demographic composition, character, and status of Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, they added.
They reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory and warned that continued expansionist policies in the West Bank were fueling violence and instability across the region.
The ministers said the measures violate international law, undermine the two-state solution, and infringe on the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state along the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
They added that such actions also erode ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability.
The ministers also cited the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which declared Israel’s policies and presence in the occupied Palestinian territory illegal, affirmed the need to end the occupation, and rejected the annexation of the territory.
They renewed calls on the international community to fulfil its legal and moral responsibilities by compelling Israel to halt what they described as a dangerous escalation in the West Bank and to restrain inflammatory statements by Israeli officials.
The ministers concluded that guaranteeing the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and statehood, based on the two-state solution, international resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, remains the only path to a just and lasting peace that ensures security and stability in the region.
The joint statement comes as Egypt also condemned the Israeli measures in the occupied West Bank, saying they form part of an illegal annexation drive that violates international law and UN resolutions.
Israel has announced a series of decisions to “dramatically” change land registration and property acquisition procedures in the West Bank, expanding Israeli oversight of areas A and B, easing the seizure of Palestinian property by settlers, and boosting Israeli authority over Tomb of the Patriarchs compound, including the Ibrahimi Mosque, and enabling the demolition of Palestinian buildings.
Egypt said the measures breach the 1997 Hebron Agreement, undermine the legal and historical status quo, and threaten the two-state solution.
The foreign ministry warned that the decisions would entrench settlement expansion, fuel violence and instability, and further erode prospects for peace.
It urged the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to act to halt the violations and protect Palestinians’ right to self-determination and statehood along the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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