ISTANBUL

Qatar and Egypt condemned on Saturday a decision by Israel to expand illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank

Statements came after an announcement by Israel's official broadcasting authority that the Security Cabinet approved a plan Thursday to legalize five settlement outposts in the West Bank, issue tenders to build thousands of housing units in the settlements and impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said the decision was “a new episode in a series of its continuous violations of international legitimacy resolutions, especially Security Council Resolution 2334,” in reference to the Council’s resolution passed in 2016 that said Israel’s settlements on Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a “flagrant violation under international law” and a major obstacle to a two-state solution.

Qatar stressed “the need for the international community to stand together to oblige the Israeli occupation to stop its unilateral actions and comply with the international legitimacy resolutions, especially at this critical time.”

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it is a “clear continuation and persistence in the policy of violating international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

Egypt strongly condemned “Israel's exploitation of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip to further entrench illegal settlement expansion and attempt to alter the legal status of the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.”

It called on “the international community to intervene to stop Israel's illegal actions and practices, and the continuous violations of Palestinian rights, and to intensify efforts for the immediate end of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”

The Israeli broadcasting authority reported Friday that the Security Cabinet approved Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's plan to counter Palestinian statehood recognition and actions against Israel in international courts.

​​​​​​​Settlement outposts are small communities established by illegal Israeli settlers on privately owned Palestinian land without approval from the Israeli government.

Smotrich's plan involves revoking permits and benefits for Palestinian officials, restricting their movement and preventing senior officials from leaving the country.

It also includes measures such as removing executive powers from the Palestinian Authority in the southern West Bank, enforcing laws against unauthorized construction and protecting heritage sites and environmental areas.

The areas designated as “Area B” in the West Bank fall under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul