Türkiye, along with nine other countries of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday, strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset’s approval of a so-called “Israeli sovereignty” over the West Bank.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the parties, including Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, consider the declaration “a blatant and unacceptable violation of international law.”
It added that the declaration flagrantly breaches key U.N. Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 2334 (2016), which reject all measures legitimizing the occupation, including settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
The ministry said the parties “reaffirm that Israel has no sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” stressing that this unilateral Israeli move has no legal effect and cannot alter the legal status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly East Jerusalem, which remains an integral part of it.
The statement also emphasized that such Israeli actions “only fuel the growing tension in the region,” which has been exacerbated by the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip.
The parties call on the international community, including the Security Council and all relevant actors, to shoulder their legal and moral responsibilities, it added.
The ministry called for an end to “Israel’s illegal policies aimed at imposing a fait accompli by force,” undermining the prospects for a just and lasting peace, and the prospects of the two-state solution.
“They also reaffirm their commitment to the two-state solution based on international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative,” the ministry added, also noting their support for the realization of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
A day earlier, Ankara similarly condemned Israel’s actions. In a written statement issued Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry declared the resolution “null and void under international law and without any validity,” stressing that the West Bank is Palestinian territory that has remained under Israeli occupation since 1967.
The ministry criticized the move as part of broader efforts by Israel to undermine peace and destabilize the region.
“Any Israeli attempt at annexation is illegitimate and provocative,” the statement read, warning that Israel’s “violent policies and unlawful actions” are not only worsening the humanitarian crisis but also threatening international order and regional security.
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