Egypt calls for ‘effective’ international measures to halt Israeli settlement expansion in West Bank

Egypt condemned on Wednesday an Israeli move to legalize 19 settlement outposts in the West Bank, calling for "effective" international measures to halt settlement expansion in the occupied territory.

Last week, Israel's Security Cabinet approved a plan to legalize 19 illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank, upon a proposal of far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the Israeli move "constitutes a blatant violation of international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions, foremost among them UN Security Council resolutions affirming the illegality of settlement activity in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967."

Cairo renewed its "categorical rejection of all forms of settlement expansion," describing it as "a major obstacle to achieving the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

The ministry called on the international community to "shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities and take effective measures to stop these violations and protect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people." It said such hoped-for measures would "contribute to reviving the political process and achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East."

Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Jordan, have denounced the Israeli decision as a violation of international law.

About 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank, while another 250,000 live in settlements built on land in occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli left-wing group Peace Now.

The UN has repeatedly affirmed that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law, warning that they undermine prospects for a two-state solution.

Last July, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark opinion that declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.