Egypt has voiced strong condemnation of Israel’s recent decision to authorize the establishment of a new settlement enclave in the occupied territory of East Jerusalem. This move is seen as a blatant breach of international laws and United Nations Security Council resolutions that declare Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories illegal.
In a statement released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt firmly denounced Israeli settlement policies across all occupied Palestinian lands, including East Jerusalem. The statement highlighted ongoing efforts to alter the established legal, historical, and demographic fabric of the area, aiming to isolate it from its Palestinian context. Egypt urged Israel to cease its unlawful settlement activities immediately.
Furthermore, Egypt reiterated its appeal to key international stakeholders, the United Nations, and associated agencies to uphold their duties in safeguarding Palestinian rights and to halt Israeli unilateral settlement ventures that jeopardize the peace process’s future and the resolution of core issues between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
The statement also underscored the necessity for Israel to refrain from leveraging global focus on the conflict in Gaza as an opportunity to escalate its illegitimate actions in the West Bank, including settlement expansion.
