Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and 15 other countries, along with the Arab League and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, issued a joint statement on Monday, strongly condemning two draft laws approved by the Israeli parliament aimed at extending Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank and illegal settlements.
The statement said that the bill flagrantly violates international law and UN Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution 2334. In addition, the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice also confirmed the illegality of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and the invalidity of settlement construction measures in the occupied West Bank.
The statement warned Israel not to continue its unilateral illegal policy, and called on the international community to shoulder its legal and moral responsibility to force Israel to stop its dangerous escalation and illegal actions in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Israeli Knesset passed two bills in a preliminary vote on the 22nd. One of them was to extend Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank. The bill requires multiple formal votes before becoming law. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs issued a statement on the 22nd strongly condemning this, saying the move was an illegal attempt to annex Palestinian territory. (General reporter Wu Aimin)