Saudi Arabia condemns the construction of 19 Israeli settlements in the West Bank
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom's strong condemnation of the Israeli occupation authorities' approval of plans to build 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Ministry considered this move a blatant and unprecedented violation of relevant UN resolutions and a flagrant challenge to international law, which criminalizes altering the demographic and geographic character of occupied territories.
The Ministry's statement reiterated the Kingdom's urgent call to the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities to end these ongoing violations, which only serve to fuel the conflict and undermine the prospects for peace in the region. The statement reaffirmed the Kingdom's unwavering support for the Palestinian people and its commitment to continuing diplomatic efforts aimed at securing their legitimate rights, foremost among them the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The historic Saudi position and the Arab Peace Initiative
This condemnation stems from the historical and pivotal role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in supporting the Palestinian cause. The Kingdom is the originator of the Arab Peace Initiative, launched at the Beirut Summit in 2002, which laid out a clear roadmap for a just and comprehensive solution based on Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories in exchange for peace. Riyadh consistently emphasizes in all international forums that peace cannot be achieved without a just solution to the Palestinian issue that guarantees the rights of refugees and full Palestinian sovereignty over their land.
Settlement activity in the balance of international law
Legally and politically, the settlement issue is the major obstacle to any potential peace negotiations. International condemnations, including the Saudi position, are based on solid legal grounds, most notably UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016, which affirmed that the establishment of settlements in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law. Furthermore, the Fourth Geneva Convention considers the transfer by an occupying power of its own population into the territory it occupies a war crime.
The implications of settlement expansion on the two-state solution
Observers and political analysts warn that the approval of new settlement construction, such as the 19 settlements mentioned, systematically aims to eliminate the two-state solution by fragmenting the West Bank and transforming it into isolated cantons, thus rendering the establishment of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state practically impossible. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia consistently affirms that these unilateral practices not only threaten the security and stability of the Palestinian territories, but also have negative repercussions that threaten regional and international peace and security, necessitating effective international action that goes beyond statements of condemnation to concrete, practical steps.
