Saudi Arabia, US, Qatar, others reject Israeli bills to annex occupied West Bank
Israel’s proposed bills to annex parts of the occupied West Bank have drawn swift condemnation from several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkiye, Jordan, and the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.
On Wednesday, Israeli lawmakers advanced two far-right bills in the Knesset.
The first bill—approved by 32 votes to 9—seeks to annex a major Israeli settlement east of Jerusalem, while the second, which passed narrowly by 25 to 24 votes, calls for the annexation of the entire West Bank.
Both measures still require three additional readings before they can take effect as law.
Condemnation
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia denounced the Knesset’s preliminary approval of the bills, describing them as attempts to legitimise settlements and impose Israeli sovereignty over occupied Palestinian lands.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom “firmly rejects all settlement and expansionist activities by the Israeli occupation authorities in the West Bank.”
It reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Riyadh urged the international community to uphold United Nations resolutions prohibiting the occupation and settlement of Palestinian territories and to revive peace efforts towards a two-state solution guaranteeing peace and stability in the region.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also condemned the Knesset vote, saying it “strongly rejects attempts to annex Palestinian land.” It reiterated that “the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, constitute a single geographic unit over which Israel has no sovereignty.”
Hamas described the move as exposing “the ugly face of the colonial occupation,” insisting that “the occupation’s frantic attempts to annex West Bank lands are invalid and illegitimate.”
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the bills in “the strongest terms,” calling them a “blatant violation of the historical rights of the Palestinian people and a challenge to international law.”
Turkiye also rejected the move, saying it was “null and void” under international law. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that “this provocative step, taken at a time when efforts to establish peace in Gaza are ongoing, threatens the already fragile stability in the region.”
“The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, is the territory of the State of Palestine. Israel’s unlawful fait accomplis in the West Bank must not be allowed,” Ankara said, adding that Türkiye “will continue to defend the inalienable rights of the Palestinians and support the establishment of an independent, sovereign state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
The United States also voiced concern.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any move towards annexation would undermine Washington’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza. “That’s not something we can be supportive of right now,” he said, adding that it “might be counterproductive” to peace efforts.
More than 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live in illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. All settlements there are deemed illegal under international law.
In 2024, the UN’s principal court reaffirmed that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its settlements are illegal and should be withdrawn “as soon as possible.”