Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s plan to build 3,500 new settlement homes in West Bank

Saudi Arabia condemned Israel’s plan to construct 3,500 new homes in West Bank settlements near Jerusalem and attempt to “judaize” large parts of the region, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.

“The Kingdom strongly condemns this attempt to judaize large parts of the West Bank, including Jerusalem, which is in contravention of all international resolutions, international human rights law, and United Nations charters,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Such acts prevent from achieving peace and stability opportunities in the region.”

An Israeli settlement-planning body has advanced permits for 3,500 new homes in West Bank settlements near Jerusalem, according to statements by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strock.

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The homes are expected to be built in the Israeli settlements of Maale Adumim, Kedar, and Efrat, which are all close to Jerusalem, The Times of Israel reported on Wednesday.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the new planned settlements will add to a record number of 18, 515 homes, approved for the occupied West Bank.

“The enemies try to harm and weaken us, but we will continue to build and be built up in this land,” he wrote on X, formerly twitter, on Wednesday.

The occupied West Bank is part of territories captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek statehood in the region.

Most world leaders deem the settlements illegal but Israel disputes that citing historical claims to the occupied West Bank and describing it as a security bulwark.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has promoted the settlements, causing friction with one of the country’s key allies, the United States, who is Tel Aviv’s biggest backer in its ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.

On February 24, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington deemed West Bank settlements inconsistent with international law, reverting to a US position that had been overturned by the administration of former President Donald Trump.

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