OIC condemns Israel's West Bank land grab as 'colonial measures,' urges UN action

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued a strong condemnation Monday of what it termed Israel's "colonial measures" in the occupied West Bank, following the Israeli government's approval to register Palestinian land as "state property." In a statement posted on social media platform X, the OIC General Secretariat warned of "a series of illegal steps" aimed at entrenching occupation and undermining the two-state solution.

Threat to Palestinian Rights

The OIC declared the measures null and void under international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2334, stating they "threaten the existence of the Palestinian people and violate their legitimate rights"—including self-determination and establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital on pre-1967 borders. The organization said the steps aim to deepen Israeli control, strengthen settlement expansion and annexation, and alter the legal, political, and demographic status of occupied Palestinian territory.

Call for International Intervention

The OIC renewed its call on the international community, particularly the Security Council, to intervene immediately to compel Israel—described as the occupying power—to cease illegal actions and ensure accountability for "crimes and violations against the Palestinian people, their territory and holy sites." The condemnation follows Sunday's Israeli cabinet decision, submitted by far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich, Yariv Levin, and Israel Katz, to open previously frozen land registration procedures, cancel Jordanian-era legislation, and disclose decades-old confidential land records.

Annexation Fears

Palestinians view the measures as a prelude to formal West Bank annexation and de facto seizure of large territory portions, moves they say would dismantle the UN-endorsed two-state solution framework.