UAE strongly condemns Israel's West Bank annexation bills

The UAE strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset’s preliminary approval of two draft laws aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and legalising control over one of the settlements, stressing that this step represents a serious escalation, a blatant violation of international legitimacy resolutions, and an undermining of efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

In a joint statement carried on WAM on Thursday, more than a dozen Arab and Muslim states condemned the Israeli parliament's vote in favour of examining two annexation bills.

The UAE, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria, the League of Arab States, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemn in the strongest terms the approval by the Israeli Knesset of two draft laws seeking to impose so-called "Israeli sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank and illegal Israeli colonial settlements.

These measures represent a flagrant violation of international law and of United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334, which rejects all Israeli measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character, and status of the occupied Palestinian territory since 1967, including East Jerusalem.

These actions also contravene the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed the illegality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the invalidity of settlement construction and annexation measures in the occupied West Bank.

The participating states reaffirm that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory.

They also welcome the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of Oct.22, 2025, on Israel’s obligations in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), in which the Court reaffirmed Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure that the population of the OPT, including in the Gaza Strip, has access to the essential supplies of daily life, and to permit and facilitate by all means at its disposal relief schemes on behalf of the population, including through the United Nations and its agencies, particularly the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The Court reaffirmed the prohibition on the use of starvation as a method of warfare, recalling Israel’s ongoing obstruction of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip. It also underscored the prohibition of mass forcible transfer and deportation, emphasising that this includes imposing conditions of life that are intolerable.

The Court further stressed the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and independent statehood, recalling that Israel’s territorial claim over East Jerusalem has been declared "null and void” by the Security Council, which includes the "Law to Cease UNRWA Operations in the Territory of the State of Israel,” which purports to apply to East Jerusalem.

The participating states warn against the continuation of Israel’s unilateral and illegal policies and practices and call on the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities by compelling Israel to cease its dangerous escalation and unlawful measures in the occupied Palestinian territory.

They emphasise the necessity of upholding the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish an independent and sovereign state on the 4th June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as the only path toward achieving a just and comprehensive peace that ensures security and stability in the region.

WAM