The foreign ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have strongly condemned Israel’s decision to recognize territories in the occupied West Bank as “state land” for Jewish settlements.
In a joint statement, they described the move as illegal and a grave threat to the situation, and as an acceleration of settlement expansion, the seizure of Palestinian land, and the strengthening of Israel’s control over the occupied territories.
The ministers said that this decision is a clear violation of international law and humanitarian law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, and UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2334.
The statement also noted that this move is contrary to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legal consequences of Israeli policies and actions in the occupied Palestinian territory. The court has previously stated that any measure that alters the legal, historical and demographic status of the occupied territory is illegal and requires an end to colonization.
The countries said that this new decision is an attempt to create a new legal and administrative situation to consolidate control over the occupied territory, which undermines the prospects for a two-state solution and threatens to achieve a lasting and just peace in the region.
Finally, the Foreign Ministers called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take clear and effective measures to end these violations, to protect the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, to end colonialism, and to establish an independent state within the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
This statement was dated 17 February 2026, and was issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
