RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned Israel’s recent decision to expand its control over areas of the occupied West Bank, warning that the unilateral step threatens to derail regional peace efforts and further destabilise the Middle East.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of the decision by the Israeli occupation authorities to reclassify lands in the West Bank as so-called “state lands” under the control of the occupation authorities, as part of plans aimed at imposing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank, thereby undermining ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region,” the Saudi Foreign Minister said in a statement on Monday.
#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of the decision by the Israeli occupation authorities to reclassify lands in the West Bank as so-called “state lands” under the control of the occupation authorities, as part of plans aimed at… pic.twitter.com/JnUDYVtEEy
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 16, 2026
It stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories and reiterated its categorical rejection of these unlawful measures, describing them as a serious breach of international law.
The statement warned that such actions undermine the two-state solution and infringe upon the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent and sovereign state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
On Sunday, Israel’s cabinet approved additional steps aimed at consolidating its control over the occupied West Bank and facilitating land purchases by settlers — a move Palestinians described as “de facto annexation.”
The decision drew widespread criticism from several Arab states, including Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan.
