Islamabad: The Foreign Ministers of eight countries, including Pakistan, have strongly condemned Israel's decision to designate lands in the Occupied West Bank as so-called "state land".

According to Radio Pakistan, a joint statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad highlighted that the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar also strongly condemned Israel's approval of procedures for the registration and settlement of land ownership across extensive areas of the occupied West Bank for the first time since 1967.

The Foreign Ministers stated that this step constitutes a significant escalation aimed at accelerating settlement activity, land confiscation, and entrenching Israeli control over the Palestinian territory, undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

They affirmed that these measures represent a violation of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2334.

The decision contradicts the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, which underscored the illegality of measures intended to alter the status of the occupied Palestinian territory and emphasized the prohibition of acquiring territory by force.

The statement further expressed that this step reflects an attempt to impose a new legal and administrative reality, undermining the Two-State solution and jeopardizing peace in the region.

The Foreign Ministers reiterated their rejection of unilateral measures altering the status of the occupied Palestinian territory, stressing that such policies escalate tensions and instability.

They urged the international community to take decisive steps to halt these violations, ensure respect for international law, and safeguard the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent State with East Jerusalem as its capital.