Islamabad, February 17,2026: The Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the State of Qatar have strongly condemned the decision by Israel to designate large areas of land in the occupied West Bank as so-called “state land,” and to approve procedures for the registration and settlement of land ownership across extensive parts of the territory for the first time since 1967.
The Ministers stressed that this illegal step constitutes a grave escalation aimed at accelerating unlawful settlement activity, confiscating Palestinian land, entrenching Israeli control, and imposing de facto sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Such actions, they emphasized, directly undermine the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
They affirmed that these measures represent a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as a clear breach of relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, foremost among them Resolution 2334, which affirms the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied territory.
The decision also contradicts the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which outlined the legal consequences of Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. That opinion underscored the illegality of actions intended to alter the legal, historical, and demographic character of the territory, reaffirmed the obligation to end the occupation, and emphasized the prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force.
The Ministers warned that this move seeks to impose a new legal and administrative reality designed to consolidate control over occupied land, thereby undermining the two-State solution, eroding prospects for the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian State, and jeopardizing the chances for a just and comprehensive peace in the region.
Reiterating their categorical rejection of all unilateral measures aimed at changing the legal, demographic, and historical status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Ministers cautioned that such policies represent a dangerous escalation that will further inflame tensions and instability, both locally and regionally.
They called upon the international community to assume its responsibilities and take clear, decisive action to halt these violations, ensure respect for international law, and safeguard the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people—foremost among them the right to self-determination, an end to the occupation, and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the lines of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
