BAGHDAD / ISTANBUL  

Iraq on Friday condemned the Israeli Knesset’s preliminary approval of two bills to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem, describing the move as a “flagrant violation of international law,” according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).

In a statement, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the Knesset’s approval of two draft laws aimed at imposing sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and illegal settlements.”

The ministry said the step “constitutes a blatant breach of international law and a direct assault on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

“Such expansionist measures undermine prospects for stability and entrench the reality of occupation and settlement, threatening peace and security across the entire region,” it added.

Baghdad urged the international community to “shoulder its legal and humanitarian responsibilities and take a firm stand against Israel’s aggressive and expansionist policies toward the Palestinian people.”

In a first reading on Wednesday, the Israeli Knesset (parliament) passed two bills, one to annex the occupied West Bank and another to annex the Ma’ale Adumim settlement built on Palestinian land east of Jerusalem. Both bills require three additional readings before becoming law.

The move coincided with US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Tel Aviv and came less than a month after President Donald Trump declared on Sept. 26 that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.

If enacted, the annexation would end any remaining possibility of implementing the two-state solution envisioned by UN resolutions.

In a joint statement, 15 countries, including Türkiye, along with the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), condemned Israel’s approval of draft laws imposing so-called “Israeli sovereignty” over the West Bank.

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