RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s recognition of illegal settlements in the Occupied West Bank and the establishment of an agency aimed at displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip on Monday.
The ministry said it categorically rejects Israeli violations of international and humanitarian laws in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
“(Saudi Arabia condemns) Israeli occupation authorities’ announcement of the establishment of an agency aimed at displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement.
Israel said it is creating a government agency to oversee the “voluntary departure” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip following approval from the Israeli security cabinet over the weekend.
Since late 2023, at least 50,000 people have been killed during the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, and almost 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza are now internally displaced.
Israel’s new agency will be tasked with relocating Palestinians to unspecified third countries under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia also condemned the approval of 13 illegal settler outposts in the West Bank over the weekend. The Saudi ministry said that the decision was made “in preparation for their legalization as colonial settlements.”
It added that lasting peace can only be achieved if the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights and establish an independent state on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
