Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation authorities’ approval to build settlements around the occupied city of Jerusalem. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Kingdom denounces the Israeli Foreign Minister’s statements preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state, considering it a violation of international law and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and sovereign statehood, as well as relevant Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2234 (2016). The statement highlighted that the Security Council demands Israel to halt settlement activities in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and that the establishment of settlements on occupied land since 1967 is illegal. The advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice confirmed the invalidity of the annexation of occupied Palestinian territories and the necessity to end the Israeli occupation.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry affirmed that these decisions and statements represent a continuation of the illegal expansionist policies of the Israeli government, obstructing the peace option and posing a serious threat to the two-state solution. It called on the international community to bear its legal and moral responsibilities, provide protection to the Palestinian people, and fulfill their legitimate rights including recognition of the Palestinian state. The ministry also stressed the need to compel Israel to stop its aggression on Gaza, illegal violations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and to halt crimes against the Palestinian people, especially those amounting to genocide, and to hold perpetrators accountable. The statement reiterated its firm rejection of Israeli policies based on settlement, forced displacement, and depriving the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights.

It urged the international community, especially the permanent members of the Security Council, to take immediate measures to compel the Israeli occupation authorities to stop their crimes against the Palestinian people and occupied Palestinian land and to comply with UN resolutions and international law. This comes as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans to build new settlements under the “E1 project,” aimed at separating East Jerusalem from the West Bank, a move he said would completely undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state. In a statement titled “Burying the Idea of a Palestinian State,” Smotrich’s spokesperson said the minister approved a plan to build 3,401 homes for Israeli settlers between an existing settlement in the West Bank and Jerusalem.