AMMAN — A broad international coalition has condemned Israel’s approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that the move advances annexation and violates international law.

 

The condemnation came in a joint statement issued on Monday by Jordan, Brazil, France, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Egypt, Luxembourg, Norway, the State of Palestine, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey, alongside the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

 

Foreign ministers and the secretary generals of the Arab League and the OIC denounced measures they said introduce sweeping extensions to unlawful Israeli authority. They said the steps reclassify Palestinian land as so-called Israeli “state land”, accelerate illegal settlement activity and further entrench Israeli administration across the territory.

 

“We are clear that Israel’s illegal settlements, and decisions designed to further them, are a flagrant violation of international law,” the statement said. It cited previous United Nations Security Council resolutions and the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

 

The ministers warned that the latest decisions form part of “a clear trajectory” aimed at changing realities on the ground and advancing what they described as unacceptable de facto annexation.

 

The diplomatic reaction followed cabinet approval of a proposal by finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and defence minister Israel Katz to declare and formalise the 19 settlements in what Israel refers to as Judea and Samaria. The cabinet did not specify when the decision was taken.

 

Earlier the United Nations said settlement expansion in the West Bank had reached its highest level since at least 2017. All settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are considered illegal under international law. The UN assessment reinforced the concerns outlined in the joint statement.

 

The approvals come amid a broader push by Israel’s right-wing government to expand and retroactively legalise settlement outposts across the West Bank. In recent months, several outposts have been formalised under Israeli law, signalling a shift from gradual expansion to structured consolidation of control.

 

The statement stressed that one-sided actions can not alter the legal status of occupied land. It warned that such steps undermine prospects for a two-state solution and threaten regional stability.The developments have prompted broader political debate.

 

Political analyst Amer Sabaileh said the effectiveness of the condemnation remains tied to broader geopolitical priorities. “At this stage, priorities are clearly different. Iran and security considerations dominate the agenda,” he said. “This political file is filtering through a security gateway, which makes real pressure difficult.”

 

He added that while the measures are escalatory, tangible change depends on Washington. “These are pressure steps. But unless the US administration makes a direct request to reverse or prevent these measures, it is difficult to rely on pressure alone to produce real change,” Sabaileh said.

 

Political analyst Thamer Anaswah said the trajectory reflects a deeper strategic direction. “Israel appears to be moving towards imposing a new reality through territorial expansion and creeping annexation,” he said. “This suggests that the two-state solution is increasingly absent from the political vocabulary of Israeli leadership, particularly under Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

 

Anaswah added that despite previous US pledges against annexation, Israeli policy appears unchanged. “Settlement expansion continues regardless of external statements,” he said.

 

“This reflects a reality shaped on the ground amid what many see as limited international enforcement of legal frameworks.”

 

According to a report by the United Nations secretary-general in December, the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is at its highest level since at least 2017, when the UN began tracking such data

 

In 2025, "plans for nearly 47,390 housing units were advanced, approved, or tendered, compared with some 26,170 in 2024," the report said.

 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned what he called the "relentless" expansion in a statement accompanying the report, saying it "continues to fuel tensions, impede access by Palestinians to their land and threaten the viability of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State."

 

Israel’s security cabinet has signed off on plans to formalise 19 illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, in a move Palestinian officials say deepens a decades-long project of land theft and demographic engineering.