Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkiye have strongly condemned Israel’s new land registration steps in the occupied West Bank.
In a joint statement released Monday, the eight countries warned that the move could open the door to taking large areas of Palestinian land.
They said the new measures would create a different legal framework that strengthens Israeli control over occupied territory. According to them, this undermines the two-state solution and changes the legal and demographic reality of Palestinian lands.
The countries also rejected what they called “unilateral Israeli measures” that alter the status of the Palestinian territories.
Last week, Israeli authorities began registering and settling land ownership in the West Bank for the first time since 1967. The government also approved steps that make it easier for Jews to purchase land in the territory after removing earlier restrictions.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry defended the move. It said the goal is to organize property records and settle legal disputes over land ownership.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, urged Israel to reverse the decision immediately. He described the measures as destabilizing and said they violate international law, pointing to the International Court of Justice.
The European Union also repeated its position that annexing parts of the West Bank would breach international law.
The issue has added new tension to an already fragile situation in the region.
