This picture shows an Israeli flag fluttering above the Israeli settlement of Beit Romano (unseen), with Palestinian buildings in the background, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron. AFP
The United States, Israel's main ally, however held off from directly criticizing the Israeli government's moves, which sparked a chorus of international condemnation.
"As the president has clearly stated, he does not support Israel annexing the West Bank," a Trump administration official said late Monday.
"A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace," the official said in response to a question on the Israeli actions.
Israel's security cabinet approved the move ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest visit to see Trump in Washington on Wednesday, when he is expected to discuss pressure on arch-enemy Iran.
The Israeli security cabinet voted Monday to allow Jewish Israelis settlers to buy West Bank land directly and to extend greater Israeli control over areas where the Palestinian Authority exercises power.
Arab and Muslim foreign ministers strongly condemned Israeli measures in the occupied West Bank, warning that the steps represent accelerated annexation and stressing that they are illegal, null and void under international law, according to a joint statement.
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.
They reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory and that 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.
The European Union called the Israeli decision "another step in the wrong direction" while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "gravely concerned."
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.
Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now in an explainer issued late Sunday called the decision aimed at “breaking through every possible barrier on the way to a massive land grab in the West Bank.” Notably, it said, Israeli authorities will be able to demolish construction in Palestinian-controlled areas if they deem it harmful to heritage or the environment.
The West Bank is divided between an Israeli-controlled section where settlements are located and sections equaling 40% of the territory where the Palestinian Authority has autonomy.
More than 700,000 Israelis illegally live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories occupied by Israel in 1967. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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