JEDDAH: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned the approval by Israeli occupation authorities to construct 764 new illegal settlement units, along with plans to establish 17 additional settlements in the occupied West Bank over the next five years.
The OIC, in a statement on Thursday, termed these measures are part of ongoing annexation and expansion efforts aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory.
The organisation reiterated that Israel’s settlement policy constitutes a war crime and represents a blatant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 2334, as well as the legal opinions issued by the International Court of Justice.
The OIC renewed its call on the international community, particularly the Security Council, to assume its responsibility and take immediate measures to end all the crimes and violations being perpetrated by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people and their territory and holy sites.
Rights groups and UN agencies have repeatedly documented the rise in colonial settlement activity, warning that Israel’s expansionist policies are intended to fragment Palestinian territory.
Analysts note that the latest settlement approvals come amid escalating violence by illegal paramilitary Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities, further worsening the humanitarian and political crises across the occupied territories.
All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank—including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem—are illegal under international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and numerous United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under international law.
