Cairo: Egypt’s Foreign Ministry issued a firm rebuke following Israel’s announcement of a major settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank—described as the largest of its kind in decades.
In a strongly worded statement, Egypt said the international community unequivocally rejects the Israeli decision, which it views as a severe impediment to achieving a just and lasting peace in the region.
The ministry stressed that Israel’s move defies numerous international legal frameworks, including the Fourth Geneva Convention and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334. Both prohibit occupying powers from transferring parts of their civilian population into occupied territories and consider such actions devoid of legal standing.
The statement also referred to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion issued in July 2024, which ruled Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories—comprising East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza—as illegal under international law.
Egypt reiterated its longstanding position that the Palestinian people have an inalienable right to establish an independent state based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital—an international consensus, Cairo emphasized, that must not be undermined.
The foreign ministry further warned that Israel’s settlement policy significantly obstructs the viability of a two-state solution and severely undermines efforts to achieve comprehensive and enduring peace in the region.
