Nearly 20 nations slam Israel’s West Bank moves as step toward ‘de facto annexation’

Nearly 20 countries on Monday slammed Israel’s recent decision to smooth the path of Jewish settlement in the West Bank, characterizing it as a step toward “de facto annexation” and an attempt to undermine potential Palestinian statehood.

The condemnation followed a security cabinet decision earlier this month that changed land registration and property acquisition procedures in the West Bank, facilitating Jewish settlement in the territory, and deepening Israeli control over the territory, including at sensitive sites.

“Changes are wide-ranging, reclassifying Palestinian land as so-called Israeli ‘state land,’ accelerating illegal settlement activity, and further entrenching Israeli administration,” said Monday’s joint statement, issued by 18 countries.

The nations said the moves were “part of a clear trajectory that aims to change the reality on the ground” and that such actions are “a deliberate and direct attack on the viability of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution.”

The settlements and decisions designed to further them, said the statement, are “a flagrant violation of international law” and a step toward what it described as “de facto annexation.”

The statement was signed by regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt, European powers France and Spain, as well as Indonesia, Brazil and Turkey, among others. It was also endorsed by the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Palestinian Authority.

The condemnation followed a similar statement, signed by some of the same countries, that was issued immediately after the February 8 cabinet decision.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said at the time that the goal of the new measures was, in part, to “kill the idea of a Palestinian state.”

The plan tightened Israeli control throughout the territory and eased future settlement expansion. It transferred authority over building permits for the Jewish settlement in the largely Palestinian city of Hebron from the Palestinian Authority’s Hebron municipality to Israel.

The changes also affect the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a site holy to Judaism and Islam that has been a flashpoint of conflict. The decision also impacted the site of Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem by establishing “a dedicated municipal authority” responsible for cleaning and routine maintenance of the holy site.

The plan also ordered the publication of land registries in the West Bank, meaning that potential buyers will be able to identify landowners and approach them for purchases. And it repealed a legal provision that prevented non-Muslims from buying real estate in the area, easing property purchases in the West Bank.

In addition, it expanded Israeli oversight and enforcement activities into Areas A and B, which are both meant to be under Palestinian Authority civil control under the 1990s-era Oslo Accords, with regard to water violations, damage to archaeological sites and environmental hazards that pollute the territory.