Saudi Arabia slams Israel’s settlement approval around Jerusalem
Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s approval of plans to build settlements around occupied Jerusalem, calling it a continuation of “illegal expansionist policies” and a violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2234(2016) that deems settlement activity illegal and urges a halt to such construction in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The statement, carried via the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also denounced comments by Israeli officials opposing the creation of a Palestinian state, saying such positions obstruct peace efforts and seriously endanger the possibility of a two-state solution. Riyadh urged the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities to protect Palestinians, recognize a Palestinian state, and press Israel to cease its actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
The condemnation followed an announcement by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that he would advance tenders for more than 3,000 housing units in the long-stalled E1 area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, a plan that would split the West Bank and sever it from East Jerusalem. Smotrich said the move would “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state, asserting that Israel’s response to international recognition efforts would be “facts” on the ground—“facts of houses, facts of neighborhoods”. Reports in Israeli and international media detail that the E1 project has been frozen for decades due to widespread international opposition over its implications for contiguity of a future Palestinian state.
Saudi Arabia framed the Israeli steps and rhetoric as violations of Palestinians’ inalienable right to self-determination and the establishment of their sovereign state, reiterating that ongoing settlement expansion undermines peace prospects and deepens annexation dynamics on the ground. Regional and international outlets similarly noted that the plan would bisect the West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem, a change critics say would effectively foreclose a viable two-state outcome.
Source of news:
- Khaleej Times report on Saudi condemnation and Smotrich’s remarks.
- Reuters report on the settlement plan and its impact on West Bank contiguity.
- Asharq Al-Awsat summary of the Saudi Foreign Ministry statement referencing UN Resolution 2234 and international law.
- Times of Israel coverage of the E1 tenders and their implications for Palestinian statehood prospects.
