https://arab.news/zhqgn
- Countries reaffirmed that “Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory”
- They welcomed the ICJ advisory opinion which said Israel was obliged to ease the passage of aid into Gaza
RIYADH: Ƶ and several other Arab and Muslim countries condemned on Thursday a pair of Israeli bills calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.
The 15 countries, including Palestine, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Turkiye, as well as the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said they “condemn in the strongest terms the bills,” which they called “a blatant violation of international law.”
A bill applying Israeli law to the West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation of a territory that Palestinians seek for part of a future independent state, won preliminary approval from Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday.
In a joint statement reported by the Saudi Press Agency, the countries reaffirmed that “Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory.”
They also welcomed the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion which said Israel was obliged to ease the passage of aid into Gaza and provide Palestinians with the “basic needs” to survive.
Israel “is under the obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including UNRWA,” ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said on Wednesday.
Israel has not allowed UNRWA to bring in its supplies since March. But the agency continues to operate in Gaza, running health centers, mobile medical teams, sanitation services and school classes for children. It says it has 6,000 trucks of supplies waiting to get in.
The countries warned against Israel’s unilateral actions and illegal policies and urged global powers to stop its “unlawful measures in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
“They warn against the continuation of Israel’s unilateral and illegal policies and practices and call on the international community to shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities and to compel Israel to cease its dangerous escalation and unlawful measures in the occupied Palestinian territory, and to uphold the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent and sovereign state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” SPA said.