ROME: Italy, France, Britain and Germany on Friday urged Israel to stop expanding its settlements in the occupied West Bank, arguing it was &quot;undermining stability&quot; and prospects for a two-state solution. The statement was welcomed by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/palestinian-authority-condemns-east-jerusalem-evictions" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Palestinian Authority</a>&nbsp;as an &quot;important step&quot;. &quot;We call on the government of Israel to end its expansion of settlements and administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence and investigate allegations against Israeli forces,&quot; said the countries in a joint statement. Noting that the situation in the West Bank had &quot;deteriorated significantly&quot; in the past few months, the countries said settler violence towards Palestinians was at &quot;unprecedented levels&quot;. &quot;The policies and practices of the Israeli government, including a further entrenchment of Israeli control, are undermining stability and prospects for a two-state solution,&quot; the statement added. The countries condemned Israel&#39;s E1 settlement plan &ndash; a new construction project expected to build some 3,400 housing units in the occupied West Bank over 12 square kilometers&ndash; as a &quot;serious breach of international law&quot;. &quot;Businesses should not bid for construction tenders for E1 or other settlement developments,&quot; the countries said. &quot;They should be aware of legal and reputational consequences of participating in settlement construction including the risk of involving themselves in serious breaches of international law.&quot; The statement also called on Israel to lift its financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian economy. They &quot;strongly oppose those, including members of the Israeli government, who argue for annexation and forcible displacement of the Palestinian population&quot;, the statement added. &#39;Important&#39; step The Palestinian Authority has called the joint statement &quot;an important step in the right direction&quot;. It called for &quot;serious and effective mechanisms to translate these important positions into concrete steps&quot; to put pressure on Israel. Since Israel began its siege of Gaza in October 2023, near-daily violence has also rocked the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/peace-activists-gather-ahead-of-jerusalem-day-rallies-known-for-violence" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">West Bank</a>, which Israel has occupied since 1967. The joint statement came at the end of a tense week in European-Israeli relations following the publication of a video that revealed the harsh treatment of European activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla while in Israeli custody. Israel&#39;s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, published the video that showed activists forced to kneel with their foreheads to the ground and their hands tied. Italy and Spain later called on the EU to sanction Ben Gvir, while Ireland urged the EU to take action against Israel over the activists&#39; treatment, according to a leaked letter seen by AFP. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, summoned Israel&#39;s most senior diplomat in Britain following what it called the &quot;inflammatory video&quot;.

A general view of the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar is pictured in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, against the backdrop of Israeli settlement of Mishor Adumim, on May 20, 2026. (AFP)

Middle East

France, Britain, Germany and Italy urge Israel to halt West Bank settlement expansion, calling it illegal and harmful to peace prospects, while the Palestinian Authority welcomes the statement as a significant diplomatic step.

Italy, France, UK, Germany urge Israel to end settlement expansion

JERUSALEM: Dozens of Israeli peace activists gathered on Thursday to show solidarity with Palestinians ahead of annual rallies marking Israel&#39;s capture of East Jerusalem, with the thousands-strong marches known for descending into nationalist anti-Palestinian violence. Jerusalem Day, as the occasion is known, commemorates Israeli forces taking East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Israel considers all of Jerusalem, including the annexed Palestinian-majority east, to be its indivisible capital. The international community, however, does not recognize this. Every year, thousands of Israeli nationalists, many of them religious Jews, march through Jerusalem and its annexed Old City, including in predominantly Palestinian neighborhoods, waving Israeli flags, dancing and sometimes accosting residents. Under the blazing morning sun on Thursday, dozens of Israeli peace activists wearing white T-shirts and carrying colorful flowers descended the stone steps towards the Old City&#39;s Damascus Gate. One elderly woman stood handing out yellow flowers to Palestinians crossing through the gate, while another greeted them with &quot;good morning&quot; in Arabic. Clutching white flowers in his hands, 52-year-old Ilan Perez said he wanted to &quot;show my sympathy and love with flowers&quot;. &quot;It was important for me to come in order to show some solidarity with the local community and say that as a Jew, as a Zionist, as someone who wants a Jewish state here, I want them to be part of it and be part of the nation with equal rights,&quot; said Perez, who works in the tech industry and had come from the city of Raanana, near Tel Aviv. Palestinian shops shuttered&nbsp;Inside the Damascus Gate, a Palestinian man was busily cellotaping a padlock shut on his storefront in anticipation of the violence expected to erupt later in the afternoon. Shops along the march&#39;s route were shuttered, and Israeli police stood stationed behind metal barriers. Authorities sometimes order Palestinian shops in the Old City to shut for the march, which ends at the Western Wall -- the last remnant of the Second Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray. Near the city&#39;s Via Dolorosa, a handful of activists from the Israeli-Palestinian grassroots movement Standing Together were preparing to perform so-called protective presence, a tactic normally used to deter Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. &quot;This day, thousands of basically settlers and right-wing fascist young and older people will be roaming the streets chanting very racist things, trying to destroy places owned by Palestinians and just terrorizing the whole place,&quot; said Rula Daoud, co-director of Standing Together. &quot;Our presence is to just protect people from being attacked, places from being vandalized. And we try to de-escalate this day. So we are not here to protest,&quot; she said, adding that Standing Together had around 300 activists stationed in the Old City, alongside others from different peace organizations. Daoud said the march was becoming more violent every year, particularly after Hamas&#39;s October 7 attacks on Israel, and accused the police of not intervening to curb the violence. Around midday, a group of dozens of revelers waving large Israeli flags and wearing stickers with the slogan &quot;Israel is forever&quot; streamed through Damascus Gate singing and playing loud music.

Israeli peace groups hand flowers to Palestinians near Damascus Gate as shops closed and police deployed ahead of Jerusalem Day marches, often marked by racist chants and violence.

Peace activists gather ahead of Jerusalem Day rallies known for violence

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has urged international attention toward &ldquo;systemic annexation&rdquo; of the occupied West Bank by Israel.&nbsp;This was said in a statement by Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, at the Arria Formula meeting on the situation in West Bank including East Jerusalem held on Friday. In his statement, shared on X by Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Mission to the UN on Saturday, Ambassador Ahmad stated, &ldquo;While international attention is consumed by multiple crises across the region, the systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land seizures and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, and this requires our attention.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2052855422407823867&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=2972af924f26f3b371baffdc0f8494bca3dc472e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2052855422407823867"></iframe></div></div>The ambassador underscored &ldquo;Israeli policies and illegal actions, unprecedented in scale and impact are undermining the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.&rdquo;&nbsp; He said Pakistan condemns &ldquo;Israel&rsquo;s ongoing legislative and administrative measures aimed at entrenching its illegal occupation and transforming de facto annexation into de jure control.&rdquo;&nbsp;Illegal settlements&nbsp;The ambassador demanded that those actions must be reversed immediately.&nbsp; He said that &ldquo;In nearly four years, the occupying power has approved 102 new settlements, nearly doubling the 127 settlements that existed previously.&rdquo; &ldquo;At the same time, settler violence is escalating at an unprecedented rate,&rdquo; Ambassador Ahmad said, urging, &ldquo;All settler violence and settlement activities must cease, in full compliance with international law and relevant Council resolutions, including 2334.&rdquo;&nbsp;&lsquo;Deteriorating humanitarian situation&rsquo;&nbsp;He also expressed alarm at the &ldquo;deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation&rdquo; in the occupied Palestinian territory.&nbsp; Ambassador Ahmad said that the &ldquo;annexation is on full throttle as we have been briefed&rdquo;, adding, &ldquo;The urgency for intervention is clear.&rdquo;&nbsp; Reiterating Pakistan&rsquo;s position on the issue, he said, &ldquo;Pakistan reiterates that the only viable path to a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East lies in ending the illegal Israeli occupation of all Arab territories and realizing the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, through the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.&rdquo;

Foreign Affairs

Islamabad’s ambassador to the UN says, ‘the systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land seizures and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, and this requires our attention.’ 

Pakistan urges global attention to ‘systematic annexation’ of occupied West Bank

JERUSALEM: Diplomats from 13 European countries and Canada on Saturday slammed growing &quot;terror&quot; by settlers against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, after a surge in deadly attacks. Since the start of March, six Palestinians have been shot dead in settler attacks in the West Bank, according to a tally of data from the Ramallah-based health ministry. &quot;We strongly condemn increasing settler terror and violence by the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/un-expert-claims-israel-using-systematic-torture" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Israeli </a>security forces inflicted upon Palestinian communities,&quot; said a joint statement from the diplomatic missions of countries including France, Spain and Britain. &lsquo;Appalled by the killings&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;We are especially appalled by the killings of Palestinians over these past weeks. This <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/palestinians-say-israeli-settler-fire-kills-two-in-west-bank" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">violence</a> by settler militias, aimed at taking over land and creating a coercive environment, forcing Palestinians to leave their homes, must end.&quot; The statement called on the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/gaza-civil-defence-says-israeli-strikes-kill-at-least-5" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Israeli</a> authorities to &quot;prevent and prosecute the lethal violence, raids and attacks&quot;. &lsquo;Morally and ethically unacceptable&rsquo;Israel&#39;s military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on Wednesday criticized the increase in settler attacks in the West Bank, calling it &quot;morally and ethically unacceptable&quot;. Alongside roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law. More broadly, violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since the October 7, 2023. It has continued despite the ceasefire and spiked since the start of the war against Iran. Over 1,000 Palestinians killed&nbsp;According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,050 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war. Israeli troops last week shot dead two children and their parents in a car, Palestinian authorities said.&nbsp; The Israeli military and police said soldiers opened fire on a vehicle over a perceived safety threat, killing four people inside. Official Israeli figures say 45 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have also been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations.

Since the start of March, six Palestinians have been shot dead in settler attacks in the West Bank, according to a tally of data from the Ramallah-based health ministry.

European nations decry 'increasing settler terror' in West Bank

JERUSALEM: The Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday that Israeli settlers shot dead two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the second deadly incident reported in as many days. A ministry statement said Thaer Faruq Hamayel, 24, and Farea Jawdat Hamayel, 57, were killed by settler fire in the town of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. It did not say when the incident occurred or provide further details. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was &quot;looking into&quot; the report. Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has soared since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023. It has continued despite the ceasefire. On Saturday, the Ramallah-based health ministry and a local mayor said Israeli settlers shot dead a Palestinian man and wounded his brother in an attack on another West Bank village, Wadi al-Rakhim. The head of the nearby Tuwani village council, Mohammad Rabai, told AFP that settlers had entered homes in the area and attacked the family of 27-year-old Amir Mohammad Shnaran who later died. The Israeli military said soldiers and police were dispatched to the scene after reports of a &quot;violent confrontation&quot; between Israelis and Palestinians. It said an investigation was underway. Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,042 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of war on Gaza, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures.

The father (C) of Palestinian brothers Mohammed and Faheem Muammar, who were killed the previous day reportedly by Israeli settlers, is assisted during their funeral in the village of Qaryut south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on March 3, 2026. (AFP

Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,042 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of war on Gaza.

Palestinians say Israeli settler fire kills two in West Bank

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Pakistan marked 19 years since the Samjhauta Express bombing, saying justice remains elusive for the 68 people killed in the 2007 attack, including 44 Pakistanis, according to the Foreign Office on Thursday. At a weekly briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi expressed &ldquo;severe disappointment&rdquo; over India&rsquo;s &ldquo;callousness&rdquo; toward victims&rsquo; families. He said they continue to wait for justice nearly two decades later. He condemned the acquittal of four individuals, including Swami Aseemanand, whom he said publicly confessed to masterminding the attack, Lieutenant Colonel Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. The spokesperson said the exoneration confirmed India&rsquo;s role as an &ldquo;official and political accomplice&rdquo; in the attack carried out on its soil. Pakistan demands a fair trial for the perpetrators and abettors, he said. He termed the exoneration an example of &ldquo;Indian duplicity and state sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan.&rdquo; He added that &ldquo;Hindutva extremism and saffron terror&rdquo; behind the attack had intensified under India&rsquo;s current government. <h3 style="line-height: 2;">Afghanistan strikes Andrabi confirmed intelligence-based, selective strikes on seven militant camps and hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The action followed recent terrorist attacks in Bajaur and Bannu, he said.</h3> The spokesperson stated the strikes were proportional and carefully planned. They targeted identified militant sites with &ldquo;utmost caution&rdquo; to prevent civilian harm. He described reported remarks from Afghan authorities about Pakistan&rsquo;s law-and-order situation as &ldquo;discouraging and disappointing.&rdquo; Attacks have increased over the past 12 to 18 months since the Taliban takeover, he said, as that militants operating from Afghanistan conduct attacks against Pakistan. Pakistan will respond &ldquo;swiftly, strongly&rdquo; in exercise of its right to self-defense, he said. Security forces remain vigilant as there is currently no structured dialogue with Kabul, and no decision has been taken on contributing troops to an ISF force discussed in Washington. <h3 style="line-height: 2;">Kashmir Andrabi condemned the extrajudicial killing of three Kashmiri youths in the Kishtwar district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He called it another manifestation of &ldquo;state-sponsored terrorism.&rdquo;</h3> He referred to the Kunan Poshpora incident as a grave human rights violation and said perpetrators remain unaccounted for. He stated that Pakistan will continue urging the international community and `UN human rights bodies to hold India accountable and seek a peaceful resolution in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. He also said Pakistan expects &ldquo;foolproof, complete security&rdquo; for its diplomats and nationals in Afghanistan, adding that Islamabad extends the same seriousness to Afghan diplomats in Pakistan. <h3 style="line-height: 2;">Israel occupation in West Bank Andrabi stated that Pakistan will outline its stance on Israel&rsquo;s recent move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank at an upcoming ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).&nbsp;</h3>&nbsp;He said that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the OIC&#39;s Open-Ended Extraordinary Ministerial Session, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 26-28.&nbsp; The meeting &ldquo;has been convened to consider the illegal decision by the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at expanding settlements, pursuing annexation, and attempting to impose Israel&#39;s sovereignty over the occupied West Bank,&rdquo; the spokesperson said. Dar will present Pakistan&rsquo;s case during the session. <div class="fr-embed" style="line-height: 2;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D1374272581405477%26set%3Da.251429287023151%26type%3D3&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="748" style="border:none;overflow:hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div> In a Facebook post, the Foreign Office said Dar will &ldquo;hold sideline meetings with counterparts from OIC&rdquo; member states. Andrabi said Israel&rsquo;s measures in the occupied West Bank have drawn condemnation from the OIC and other Muslim states, as well as &ldquo;European and other world countries,&rdquo; including Brazil, France, Denmark, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. &ldquo;In this statement, we described these changes as wide-ranging and amounting to reclassifying Palestinian land as so-called Israel state land, accelerating illegal settlement activity, and further entrenching Israeli administration,&rdquo; he said. Restating Pakistan&rsquo;s long-standing position on Israel&rsquo;s occupation of Palestinian lands, Andrabi said the country issued &ldquo;a joint statement&rdquo; with &ldquo;eight other countries&rdquo; condemning a statement by the US ambassador to Israel suggesting it would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states. He said Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, along with the OIC Secretariat and the League of Arab States, &ldquo;strongly condemned&rdquo; the remarks. The US envoy&rsquo;s comment was &ldquo;dangerous, inflammatory, and clear violation of international law and the UN Charter,&rdquo; Andrabi said. He added that it threatened regional security and stability. Qatar Separately, Andrabi addressed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif&rsquo;s recent state visit to Qatar at the invitation of the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. PM Sharif met the Qatari emir and discussed enhancing cooperation in several areas, including economic ties. Both sides agreed on resolving international disputes peacefully through &ldquo;dialogue&rdquo; and &ldquo;diplomacy.&rdquo; Sheikh Tamim will &ldquo;visit Pakistan later this year,&rdquo; he added. During the visit, PM Sharif also met Qatar&rsquo;s defense minister, Sheikh Saud Al Thani, who expressed interest in expanding defense cooperation between the two countries and &ldquo;appreciated the professionalism and expertise of Pakistan&#39;s armed forces.&rdquo;

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi speaking at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, on February 26, 2026. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs/X)

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the Open-Ended Extraordinary Ministerial Session of the OIC.

Pakistan demands justice on Samjhauta Express bombing’s 19th anniversary

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Pakistan at the United Nations on Tuesday said that children &ldquo;living under foreign&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/un-says-israeli-actions-raising-ethnic-cleansing-fears-in-west-bank-gaza" target="_blank">occupations</a>&rdquo; are especially vulnerable to human rights abuses and violence, as the country joined about 20 nations condemning Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territory.&nbsp; First Secretary Zulfiqar Ali from Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Mission to the United Nations said that &ldquo;as the most vulnerable victims of armed conflict,&rdquo; children bore &ldquo;its deepest and most enduring scars.&rdquo;&nbsp; While speaking at the United Nations Security Council meeting, the first secretary said that the recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/israel-conducting-gradual-de-facto-annexation-of-west-bank-un-official" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">surge</a>&nbsp;in violence has exposed children to &ldquo;multiple grave violations,&rdquo; robbing them &ldquo;not only of safety, but of childhood itself.&rdquo; &ldquo;Pakistan echoes the concerns expressed in the Secretary General&rsquo;s last report, which details 41,370 grave violations against children in 2024,&rdquo; Ali said.&nbsp; He added that children living under foreign occupations were particularly vulnerable to human rights abuses and violence.&nbsp; &ldquo;In Occupied Palestinian Territory &mdash; both in Gaza and the West Bank &mdash; countless children have been killed or scarred for life,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp; Separately, the plight of children in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir was regrettably omitted despite the worsening situation after India&rsquo;s illegal and unilateral measures of August 5, 2019. &nbsp; &ldquo;This selective omission risks obscuring the full scale of violations affecting children in situations of foreign occupation,&rdquo; the first secretary said, reminding the council that the &ldquo;unprovoked and unlawful&rdquo; Indian aggression in May last year resulted in the &ldquo;martyrdom of 15 children, among other civilian casualties.&rdquo; Pakistan joins global condemnation&nbsp;Separately, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/nearly-20-nations-slam-israels-west-bank-moves-towards-de-facto-annexation" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">joined</a>&nbsp;the condemnation of Israel&#39;s recent moves to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/top-israeli-minister-pushes-for-emigration-of-west-bank-gaza-palestinians" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">tighten</a>&nbsp;its control over the occupied West Bank. The statement issued early on Tuesday was signed by regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt, European powers France and Spain, and Indonesia, Brazil, and Turkey, among others. It was also endorsed by the secretaries general League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as the Palestinian Authority. In addition to around three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law.

First Secretary Zulfiqar Ali says 'most vulnerable victims of armed conflict,' children bear 'its deepest and most enduring scars;' selective omission risks obscuring the full scale of violations affecting children.

Pakistan at UN highlights risks to children under occupation, joins global condemnation of Israel 

RIYADH: Nearly 20 countries on Monday condemned Israel&#39;s recent moves to tighten its control over the occupied West Bank, characterizing them as attempts to annex the territory and undermine Palestinian statehood. Israel has approved a series of initiatives this month backed by far-right ministers, including launching a process to register land in the West Bank as &quot;state property&quot; and allowing Israelis to purchase land there directly. The moves &quot;are part of a clear trajectory that aims to change the reality on the ground and to advance unacceptable de facto annexation,&quot; the 18 mostly European or Muslim-majority countries said, in a joint statement. &quot;Such actions are a deliberate and direct attack on the viability of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution.&quot; The statement was signed by regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt, European powers France and Spain, as well as Indonesia, Brazil and Turkey, among others. It was also endorsed by the secretaries general League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as the Palestinian Authority. In addition to around three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law. The current Israeli government has fast-tracked settlement expansion, approving a record 52 settlements in 2025. The West Bank, occupied since 1967, will form the largest part of any future Palestinian state.

Israel has approved a series of initiatives this month backed by far-right ministers, including launching a process to register land in the West Bank as "state property" and allowing Israelis to purchase land there directly.

Nearly 20 nations slam Israel's West Bank moves towards 'de facto annexation'

JERUSALEM:&nbsp;A senior Israeli far-right minister vowed to encourage &quot;emigration&quot; from the Palestinian territories, despite mounting criticism of recent measures tightening Israel&#39;s control over the occupied West Bank. Since last week, Israel has approved a series of initiatives backed by far-right ministers to consolidate control over the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/palestinian-child-dies-after-stepping-on-mine-in-west-bank" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">West Bank</a>, including in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, in place since the 1990s. &ldquo;We will eliminate the idea of an Arab terror state,&rdquo; far-right <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/dozens-of-un-member-states-condemn-israeli-west-bank-measures" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich</a> said at an event organized by his Religious Zionism Party late on Tuesday. &quot;We will finally, formally, and in practical terms nullify the cursed Oslo Accords and embark on a path toward sovereignty, while encouraging emigration from both Gaza and Judea and Samaria,&quot; he said, using the Biblical term for the West Bank. &quot;There is no other long-term solution,&quot; added <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/israel-accused-of-move-expanding-jerusalem-borders-for-first-time-since-1967" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Smotrich</a>, who himself lives in a settlement in the West Bank. &lsquo;Colonization 2030&rsquo;Smotrich was speaking at a vineyard near Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, where he presented what he called &quot;Colonization 2030&quot;, a campaign initiative ahead of national elections scheduled for later this year. In addition to the finance portfolio, Smotrich serves on Israel&#39;s security cabinet, which takes key decisions regarding the West Bank, making him a central figure in efforts to expand settlements there. The recently approved measures include launching a process to register land in the West Bank as &quot;state property&quot; and allowing Jewish Israelis to purchase land directly. Until now, land acquisitions for settlers were typically carried out through intermediary companies. The new measures repeal a decades-old law that barred Jews from directly purchasing land&nbsp;in the West Bank. &quot;This will allow Jews to purchase land in Judea and Samaria exactly as they do in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem,&quot; Smotrich said last week. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Global outrage&nbsp;</h2>The steps are also set to increase Israel&#39;s control in parts of the West Bank where the Palestinian Authority currently exercises power. Under the Oslo Accords, the West Bank was divided into areas A, B and C -- under Palestinian, mixed and Israeli governance respectively. The West Bank would form the largest part of any future Palestinian state, but many on Israel&#39;s religious right view it as Israeli land. The Oslo Accords were signed with the stated aim of paving the way for an independent Palestinian state. Israeli NGOs have also raised the alarm over a settlement plan signed by the government which they say would mark the first expansion of Jerusalem&#39;s borders into the occupied West Bank since 1967. The planned development, announced by Israel&#39;s Ministry of Construction and Housing, is formally a westward expansion of the Geva Binyamin, or Adam, settlement situated northeast of Jerusalem in the West Bank. The new measures have triggered widespread international outrage. De facto annexationOn Tuesday, the UN missions of 85 countries condemned the measures, which critics say amount to de facto annexation of the Palestinian territory. &quot;We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel&#39;s unlawful presence in the West Bank,&quot; they said in a statement. &quot;Such decisions are contrary to Israel&#39;s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed. &quot;We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation.&quot; US President Donald Trump has previously voiced opposition to annexation of the West Bank, but has stopped short of directly criticizing the latest Israeli measures. &lsquo;Stable West Bank&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;As the president has clearly stated, he does not support Israel annexing the West Bank,&quot; a Trump administration official said earlier this month. &quot;A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration&#39;s goal to achieve peace,&quot; the official said. Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law. Around three million Palestinians live in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967. The current Israeli government, considered one of the most right wing in the country&#39;s history, has fast-tracked settlement expansion. It has approved a record 54 settlements in 2025, according to Israeli NGO Peace Now.

In addition to the finance portfolio, Israeli minister Smotrich serves on Israel's security cabinet, which takes key decisions regarding the West Bank, making him a central figure in efforts to expand settlements there.

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