Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian Nations Condemn Israeli Settlement Policies

Abu dhabi: The Foreign Ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt have jointly expressed their unequivocal condemnation of Israel's continued illegal settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories. They have completely rejected the E1 settlement plan and related settlement activities in occupied East Jerusalem. The ministers reiterated their condemnation of violations and acts of violence perpetrated by settlers, with the support of the Israeli occupation authorities, against the Palestinian people and their property. They affirmed that these practices do not diminish the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, constitute violations of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, and represent a serious threat to regional and international peace and security. According to Union of OIC News Agencies, the ministers warned that the E1 settlement plan constitutes a dangerous escalation that would further settlement e xpansion and annexation, undermining the territorial contiguity of the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly between the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This threatens the viability of an independent, contiguous, and viable Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. These actions directly challenge international efforts to achieve peace, including President Donald Trump's comprehensive peace plan, which firmly rejects annexation and forced displacement. They also challenge Trump's commitment to preventing the annexation of the West Bank to achieve stability and end the conflict. The ministers reaffirmed that the two-state solution, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, remains the only viable path to achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace. They warned that actions aimed at undermining this solution will only escalate tensions, threaten regional and international peace and security, and jeopardize the prospects for lasting peac e and stability in the region. In this context, the ministers support all efforts to ensure accountability, including through appropriate international measures and sanctions against entities and individuals responsible for illegal settlement activities, including the E1 settlement plan, as well as those who support, facilitate, or implement settlement expansion and annexation policies. They also called for an end to any support or funding that contributes to the establishment, expansion, or entrenchment of illegal settlements. They emphasized that the absence of accountability perpetuates violations and further undermines the prospects for a just and lasting peace. The ministers called for immediate action to halt the E1 settlement plan, rescind all measures taken within its framework, and cease all settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory. They also called upon the UN Security Council and all relevant states a nd international bodies to uphold their responsibilities under international law and take urgent and effective measures to halt illegal settlement expansion, ensure the protection of the Palestinian people, and safeguard their inalienable rights, including their right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions.