Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli plan to build 19 settlements in West Bank

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned Israel’s approval to build over a dozen settlements in the occupied West Bank, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The Kingdom [condemns] the Israeli occupation authorities’ approval of the construction of 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, in violation of relevant UN resolutions.”

The statement also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s call on the international community to assume its responsibilities “to end these violations.”

Last week, Israel’s cabinet decided to give legal status to 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, including two that were vacated 20 years ago under a pullout aimed at boosting the country’s security and the economy, Israeli media reported.

The move to legalize the settlements in the West Bank – territory Palestinians seek for a future state – was proposed by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Most world powers deem Israel’s settlements, on land it captured in a 1967 war, illegal. Numerous UN Security Council resolutions have called on Israel to halt all settlement activity.

Israel disputes this, saying it has historical and biblical ties to the land.

Construction of settlements – including some built without official Israeli authorization – has increased under Israel’s far-right governing coalition, fragmenting the West Bank and cutting off Palestinian towns and cities from each other.

The 19 settlements include two that Israel withdrew from in 2005, evacuated under a disengagement plan overseen by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that focused mainly on Gaza.