India joins 100 UN member states condemning Israel’s expansion in the West Bank
India has joined 100 UN member states denouncing Israel’s moves in the West Bank, describing them as inconsistent with international law. This comes amid renewed tensions over land measures in the territory, while violence in Gaza persists, and access to medical evacuations remains restricted.
INDIA on Wednesday joined the list of 100 United Nations (UN) member countries that condemned Israel's expansion in the West Bank region, according to an official statement seen by Mint. Although India was absent from the original group of 85 signatories, it later joined the expanded coalition of 100 countries.
The Palestinian Mission to the UN shared the joint statement on its social media platforms. The joint statement was also backed by three international blocs, the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union.
The statement read, “We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank. Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed. We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation.”
Member countries that signed the statement include Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Türkiye, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
According to The Wire's report, in recent months, Israel has expanded construction in the occupied West Bank and eased bureaucratic procedures to strengthen its control over the area. On 15 February, the government took a new decision to begin a land regulation process that could allow it to take control of large parts of the territory.
According to an AP report, the decision will pave the way to restart the “settlement of land title” process in the West Bank area, which has been put on hold since the Mideast War of 1967. Under this process, once Israel begins registering land in a specific area, anyone claiming ownership must provide documents to prove their rights to it.
Al Jazeera on Wednesday (local time) reported that Israeli fire had resulted in the death of two Palestinians in separate incidents across the Gaza Strip. This comes after the Israeli government continues to block thousands of people from seeking medical assistance through the partially-opened Rafah crossing.
According to the latest figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, over 600 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,600 wounded, since the “ceasefire” took effect in mid-October, which, Israel reportedly, has violated daily.
