Egypt condemns Israel’s approval of 19 new West Bank settlements

Egypt has condemned Israel’s approval of the legalisation and establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling for “effective international measures” to stop Tel Aviv’s ongoing violations of international law.

On 11 December, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to legalise 19 settlements built in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Cairo “condemns in the strongest terms Israel, the occupying power, for continuing its illegal settlement policies”. It described the latest decision as a further escalation in those policies.

The ministry said the approval of new settlements constitutes “a flagrant violation of the provisions of international law and relevant international resolutions”, particularly UN Security Council resolutions that affirm the illegality of settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.

Egypt reiterated its “complete rejection of all forms of settlement expansion”, stressing that such actions represent a major obstacle to the two-state solution and to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The statement called on the international community to “assume its legal and moral responsibilities and take effective measures to stop these violations and protect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”.

Egypt said that such measures are essential to reviving the political process and achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Several Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, have also condemned the Israeli cabinet’s decision to legalise the settlements.

According to the Israeli peace organisation Peace Now, around 725,000 Israeli settlers currently live in settlements across the occupied West Bank, including approximately 250,000 in occupied East Jerusalem.

Since the start of the genocide in the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023, Israel has intensified its crimes in the occupied West Bank in preparation for formal annexation. These actions have included the demolition of Palestinian homes, forced displacement, and the accelerated expansion of settlement construction.