By Laith Al-jnaidi
AMMAN, Jordan / ISTANBUL (AA) – Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned Monday that “illegal” Israeli measures in the occupied West Bank undermines de-escalation efforts and threatens to escalate the conflict in the region.
A royal court statement said the monarch met with British officials and members of the British parliament as part of his official visit to London to discuss regional developments, particularly in the West Bank.
“The ilegal Israeli measures that seek to entrench settlements and impose sovereignty over the land undermine de-escalation efforts and threaten to exacerbate the conflict," Abdullah warned.
The king’s discussions also dwelt on British efforts to restore stability in the region, as well as developments in Gaza, Syria, and Iran, according to the statement.
On Sunday, the Israeli government approved a proposal to register Palestinian land in the West Bank as “state property,” for the frist time since Israel occupied the territory in 1967.
According to Israeli Channel 7, the measure includes opening previously frozen land registration procedures, canceling old Jordanian legislation, and disclosing land records that had remained confidential for decades.
According to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, the goal of the move is the “gradual settlement of 15% of Area C by 2030.”
The 1995 Oslo II Accord divided the West Bank into three administrative areas: Area A under full Palestinian control; Area B under Palestinian civil administration and Israeli security control; and Area C under full Israeli civil and security control, which covers about 61 percent of the West Bank.
Palestinians say Israel rarely grants building permits in Area C, effectively preventing construction or land development.
Palestinians view the measures as a prelude to the formal annexation of the West Bank and a step toward the de facto annexation of large parts of the territory, moves they say would undermine the two-state solution framework endorsed by the UN.
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.
Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul