RIYADH — Saudi Arabia, alongside key Arab and Islamic countries, has strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset's recent declaration calling for the imposition of so-called "Israeli sovereignty" over the occupied West Bank, denouncing it as a blatant and unacceptable violation of international law. In a joint statement issued on Thursday by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the condemnation was supported by Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Palestine, Qatar, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The group of nations described the Israeli move as a "flagrant breach" of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, including Resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), and 2334 (2016). All these resolutions reject the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation and settlement activity in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. The joint statement reaffirmed that Israel holds no sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, which was described as an integral part of the Palestinian state. The declaration further emphasized that the unilateral Israeli action has no legal effect and only serves to escalate tensions in the region—already worsened by ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the resulting humanitarian crisis. The signatories called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council and other relevant bodies, to uphold their legal and moral responsibilities by acting to halt Israel's illegal policies, including attempts to impose a fait accompli by force. Such actions, they warned, jeopardize the prospect of a just and lasting peace, and undermine the viability of the two-state solution. Concluding the statement, the parties reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international law and the Arab Peace Initiative.
