ISTANBUL

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned an Israeli decision to legalize 19 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank as a “flagrant violation of international resolutions.”

Last week, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to legalize 19 illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank, upon a proposal of far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

In a statement on US social media company X on Tuesday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry called the approval “a flagrant violation of international resolutions and a blatant infringement on the rights of the Palestinian people.”

The ministry reiterated Qatar’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate right under international resolutions to establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The statement called on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities to pile pressure on Israel to halt its expansionist settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The UAE also denounced the Israeli move as “a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of international law” that undermines efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry reiterated the Gulf country’s categorical rejection of any Israeli attempt to annex the West Bank, stressing its commitment to safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people.

About 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank, while another 250,000 live in settlements built on land in occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli left-wing group Peace Now.

The UN has repeatedly affirmed that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law, warning that they undermine prospects for a two-state solution.

Last July, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark opinion that declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.