RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has condemned the approval by the Israeli occupation authorities to construct settlements around the occupied city of Jerusalem.
The foreign ministry, in a statement on Friday, denounced the Israeli minister’s statements against the establishment of a Palestinian state, considering them a violation of international law and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
It said the Kingdom regards these actions as a violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2234 (2016), which demands that Israel cease settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, affirms the illegality of Israel’s settlement construction in the territory occupied since 1967, and refers to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice affirming the invalidity of annexing the occupied Palestinian territories and the need to end the Israeli occupation.
“These decisions and statements confirm the continuation of the illegal expansionist policies of this Israeli government, its obstruction of the peace process, and the serious threat to the possibility of a two-state solution,” the statement said.
It urged the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, protect the Palestinian people, and fulfill their legitimate rights, including recognition of the Palestinian state.
“It must also compel Israel to stop its aggression against Gaza and its illegal violations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and to halt its crimes against the Palestinian people, particularly those amounting to genocide, and hold the perpetrators accountable,” said the statement.
The Kingdom reiterated its unequivocal rejection of Israeli policies based on settlement, forced displacement, and the deprivation of the Palestinian people of exercising their legitimate rights, calling on the international community—especially the permanent members of the UN Security Council—to take immediate measures to compel the Israeli occupation authorities to halt their crimes against the Palestinian people and the occupied Palestinian territories, and to comply with UN resolutions and international law.
