In an act widely condemned as a defiance of international legitimacy, the Israeli Knesset on Wednesday advanced a bill to extend Israeli sovereignty over parts of the occupied West Bank — a move many observers view as a direct assault on prospects for peace and regional stability.
The legislation, introduced by leader of the far-right Noam party, proceeded despite coinciding with US Vice President J D Vance’s visit to Israel underscored growing political friction between Washington and Tel Aviv.
The Knesset’s decision triggered a wave of international condemnation. Governments, organizations, and rights advocates across the globe decried the move as a grave violation of international law and a serious blow to the two-state solution, long seen as the cornerstone of any durable peace.
In a joint statement, a broad coalition of Arab and Islamic nations including Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and others denounced the Knesset’s move as “a blatant violation of international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334.” Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation reaffirmed that Israel has “no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory.” It cited the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion reaffirming the illegality of Israel’s occupation and settlement expansion since 1967, including in East Jerusalem.
All Israeli measures seeking to alter the demographic and geographic character of the occupied territories are null and void. These acts will only deepen instability and undermine regional peace efforts.
The joint statement of Arab and Islamic states welcomed the ICJ’s October 22, 2025, advisory opinion, which underscored Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law toward the people of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The Court reiterated Israel’s duty to ensure access to essential supplies and humanitarian aid — particularly through UNRWA — and condemned the use of starvation as a weapon and the ongoing blockade of Gaza.
Reaffirming the Palestinian right to self-determination, the Court declared Israel’s territorial claims over East Jerusalem “null and void,” rejecting legislation seeking to expel UNRWA from the city, as legally baseless.
Arab and Islamic nations urged the international community to shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities by pressuring Israel to halt its unilateral measures and violations in the occupied territories. They called for renewed commitment to the two-state solution, establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital — the only path, they insisted, to achieving lasting peace and stability.
Under Netanyahu’s leadership, settlement activity has surged by nearly 40 percent, with record-breaking construction plans approved in early 2025 for over 41,000 units — the highest figure in six years. According to Palestinian sources, 770,000 Israeli settlers now live across 180 settlements and 256 outposts in the West Bank, including dozens classified as agricultural or rural.
