The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates issued a powerful joint statement on 9 February 2026, forcefully condemning Israel’s illegal policies in the occupied West Bank.

The ministers denounced what they described as systematic Israeli measures aimed at imposing unlawful sovereignty, entrenching settlement expansion, and enforcing a coercive legal and administrative reality across the occupied West Bank. They reaffirmed unequivocally that Israel has no sovereignty whatsoever over any part of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

Illegal Policies Fuel Violence and Displacement

The statement warned that Israel’s expansionist agenda—marked by settlement construction, land confiscation, and demographic engineering—is deliberately fueling violence and instability, while deepening Palestinian displacement and undermining any remaining prospects for peace.

The ministers expressed their absolute rejection of these actions, stressing that they constitute a grave violation of international law and a direct assault on the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination. They emphasized that Israeli policies are systematically destroying the foundations of the two-state solution and sabotaging regional peace and stability.

International Law Clearly on Palestine’s Side

Reaffirming the primacy of international law, the ministers declared that all Israeli measures in the occupied West Bank are null and void, citing UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which explicitly condemns attempts to alter the demographic, geographic, and legal status of Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.

They also referenced the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which ruled that Israel’s continued presence, policies, and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal, affirmed the obligation to end the occupation, and rejected the legality of annexation of Palestinian land.

Call for Accountability and Concrete Action

The foreign ministers urged the international community to move beyond statements of concern and fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities by taking concrete action to hold Israel accountable, compel an end to settlement expansion, and stop the escalating aggression in the occupied West Bank, including incitement by Israeli officials.

They stressed that justice for Palestine is not optional, reiterating that the realization of Palestinian rights—foremost among them statehood on the 4 June 1967 borders with occupied Jerusalem as its capital—remains the only path to a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace, in line with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The joint declaration underscores a unified regional stance rejecting Israel’s occupation and annexation agenda, and reflects growing determination among Muslim and regional powers to defend Palestinian rights and preserve the legal foundations of peace in the Middle East. (ILKHA)