Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
THE State of Palestine has condemned a decision by the Government of Israel to classify large tracts of land in the occupied West Bank as “State land” and described the move as illegal and a step towards annexation.
In a statement, Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Tamer Almassri said the measures were aimed at imposing illegitimate sovereignty, entrenching settlements and creating a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied territory.
“The Israeli government’s decision to classify large areas of occupied West Bank land as so-called ‘state land’ is illegal and a deliberate step toward the annexation of Palestinian territory,” he said.
Ambassador Almassri said the decisions constituted a violation of international law and undermined efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
“These decisions constitute a blatant violation of international law, undermine the two-state solution and infringe upon the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent and sovereign state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital.”
Ambassador Almassri said policies involving land confiscation and restrictions on the movement of Palestinians would not create legitimacy on the ground.
“The Israeli policies of land confiscation or the restriction of the Palestinian people’s freedom and movement will not establish any legitimacy nor strip the Palestinian people of their rights to their homeland,” he said.
The Ambassador called on the international community, including the United Nations Security Council, to take a firm stand against unlawful unilateral measures.
“The State of Palestine calls upon the international community, the UN Security Council, and all relevant international legal bodies to adopt urgent steps to deter the occupying power and halt the ongoing annexation and settlement activities that threaten the two-state solution, undermine international consensus, and jeopardise regional peace and stability,” he said.
This comes amid ongoing tensions over settlement expansion in the West Bank, an issue that remains central to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
