Allies rebuke Israel over West Bank ‘capture’
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• US, France, Switzerland oppose move, say it threatens ‘two-state solution’
• Arab League to convene today as Tel Aviv starts demolishing Palestinian structures near Jenin
WASHINGTON: A day after the eight-member Muslim bloc condemned illegal Israeli measures to annex the West Bank, several Western nations — including staunch ally the United States — have come out against Tel Aviv’s move to tighten its grip over the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Israeli security cabinet had voted on Monday to allow Jewish settlers to buy West Bank land directly, and to extend greater control over areas where the Palestinian Authority exercises power.
“As the president has clearly stated, he does not support Israel annexing the West Bank,” a Trump administration official said.
“A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace,” the official said, when asked about the Israeli actions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that this decision was eroding the prospect for a two-state solution.
He reiterated that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and their associated regime and infrastructure, have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including relevant UN resolutions.
Such actions, including Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, are not only destabilising but also unlawful as recalled by the International Court of Justice, a statement issued by the UN chief said.
France also condemned the Israeli security cabinet’s decisions aimed at expanding Israel’s control over the West Bank, calling the move “contrary to international law and represent[ing] a dangerous challenge to the Oslo Accords and the Hebron Protocol”.
“These measures, along with the approval of the E1 project and the publication of a tender for that project, are fueling momentum for annexing the West Bank and as such, represent a serious attack on the two-state solution. At a time when international efforts are focused on implementing phase two of the Gaza peace plan, these decisions are detrimental to current peace efforts and threaten to raise tensions,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement
The usually-neutral Swiss government also weighed in, saying Israeli “settlement activities are illegal under international law”.
Meanwhile, the Arab League Council is expected to convene today (Wednesday) — at the request of the State of Palestine — to discuss ways to confront the recent Israeli expansion of its occupation of the West Bank.
Israel starts ‘clearing’ West Bank
On Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reported the Israeli army had demolished Palestinian structures and assaulted several residents in the occupied West Bank.
Military bulldozers brought down three homes belonging to two Palestinian families in the town of Barta’a, southwest of Jenin in the northern West Bank, citing a lack of building permits, the official news agency Wafa said.
In the nearby Ya’bad town, Israeli forces assaulted several young men after raiding the area and storming several shops there, the outlet said.
Separately, four Palestinians were injured after they were assaulted by Israeli forces during demolition operations in Silwan town in occupied West Bank, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said.
According to the Wadi Hilwah Information Center, Israeli forces raided the town and demolished walls surrounding houses in the al-Bustan neighborhood.
A building material store was also razed by Israeli forces in the Bir Ayoub neighborhood in the same town. Two people were detained during the raid.
Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2026
