Arab League holds emergency meeting to discuss Israeli measures to tighten control of West Bank

By Hussien Elkabany

CAIRO (AA) – The Arab League held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss recent Israeli measures aimed at expanding illegal settlement activity and tightening its control of the occupied West Bank.

Chaired by the United Arab Emirates, the meeting was held at the level of permanent delegates to discuss Arab action “to counter the aggressive decisions by the Israeli government,” Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said.

Addressing the meeting, Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Faid Mustafa called the Israeli measures “unprecedented escalation intended to solidify the de facto annexation of large swathes of the West Bank.”

He warned that the Israeli actions “effectively undermine the political basis of the two-state solution, which still enjoys broad international consensus as the only viable framework for achieving a just and lasting peace.”

Palestinian delegate Muhannad Al-Aklouk said the Israeli decisions represent a “qualitative shift aimed at deepening annexation and territorial expansion.”

On Sunday, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved measures aimed at expanding illegal settlement building and increasing Tel Aviv’s control of the occupied West Bank.

According to Israeli media, the decisions include repealing a law that barred the sale of land in the West Bank to illegal Israeli settlers, unsealing land ownership records, and shifting authority for building permits in a settlement bloc near Hebron from a Palestinian municipality to Israel’s civil administration.

“The illegal measures taken by the occupation government amount to a blatant violation of international law and undermine international legitimacy rooted in the two-state solution,” Jordanian delegate Amjad Al-Adailah told the meeting.

UAE delegate Hamad Al-Zaabi reaffirmed his country’s “strong condemnation” of the Israeli measures aimed at imposing an “unlawful reality” in the West Bank.

In a landmark opinion in July 2024, 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.

Israel has intensified operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since launching its military campaign in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023. Palestinians view the escalation — including killings, arrests, displacement and settlement expansion — as a step toward formal annexation of the territory.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul