CAIRO/ISTANBUL

Israel’s occupation of Arab lands and plans to annex territory aborts any arrangements for regional cooperation and integration, an Arab resolution warned.

The resolution, adopted on Thursday by an Arab League ministerial meeting in Cairo chaired by the United Arab Emirates, condemned “any proposal that threatens the sovereignty of Arab states and the integrity of their territories.”

According to Egypt’s state news agency MENA on Friday, the resolution underlined the need to end Israel’s occupation of Arab lands.

“No arrangements for cooperation, integration, or coexistence in the region can be sustained as long as Israel continues to occupy Arab territories or issues implicit threats to occupy or annex others,” the resolution read.

It called for ending “the Israeli occupation of Arab lands, halting settlement expansion, forced displacement projects, demographic changes, erosion of Arab identity, and Judaization of Islamic and Christian holy sites, while ensuring the rights of refugees and continuing to press the international community to take decisive positions.”

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the resolution was jointly initiated by Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

“There is no room for allowing any party to dominate the region or impose unilateral security arrangements that undermine its safety and stability,” a ministry statement said.

“Regional security can only be achieved through strict adherence to the governing principles enshrined in the resolution, foremost among them respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, and refraining from the use of military force outside the framework of international legitimacy.”

The ministry reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to working with Arab states and international partners to translate the resolution into practical steps to strengthen regional security.

Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “deeply committed to the vision of Greater Israel,” which, according to Israeli claims, encompasses the occupied Palestinian territories and parts of Arab countries from the Euphrates to the Nile – a statement that sparked widespread condemnation.

For decades, Israel has occupied Palestinian lands and territories in Syria and Lebanon, refusing to withdraw and to allow the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the borders prior to the 1967 war.

On Wednesday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Israel plans to annex 82% of the occupied West Bank to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.