Türkiye, others condemn Israeli vote to annex West Bank

ANKARA

Israeli troops deploy during a raid in Nablus city in the occupied West Bank on July 23, 2025. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Türkiye and nine other members of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have condemned the Israeli parliament's vote calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

In a joint statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on July 24, the group — which includes Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — said the declaration was “a blatant and unacceptable violation of international law.”

More than 70 Israeli MPs voted on July 23 to call on the government to formally annex the territory to "strengthen the state of Israel, its security and prevent any questioning of the fundamental right of the Jewish people to peace and security in their homeland."

Though the symbolic move does not affect the Palestinian territory's legal status, the non-binding vote in the Knesset was backed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, as well as some opposition lawmakers.

"The above-mentioned parties reaffirm that Israel has no sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stressing that this unilateral Israeli move has no legal effect and cannot alter the legal status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, foremost among it East Jerusalem, which remains an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory," the joint statement said.

"They call on the international community, including the Security Council and all relevant actors, to shoulder their legal and moral responsibilities, and to act to halt Israel’s illegal policies aimed at imposing a fait accompli by force, undermining the prospects for a just and lasting peace, and the prospects of the two-state solution."

The statement called for an end to “Israel’s illegal policies aimed at imposing a fait accompli by force,” which it said were damaging the potential for peace and the viability of a two-state solution.