
Saudi Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli Knesset's call to Impose control over Occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley
Israel's parliament approved a symbolic measure calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. Lawmakers voted 71-13 in favour of the motion which called for 'applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley'.
In a statement, the ministry said the actions by the Israeli authorities undermined efforts to achieve peace through the two-state solution, and reflected a continued insistence on destruction and destabilization.
#وزارة_الخارجية: المملكة تدين وتستنكر مطالبة الكنيست الإسرائيلي بفرض السيطرة على الضفة الغربية والأغوار الفلسطينية المحتلة، والذي يُعد انتهاكًا صارخًا للقوانين الدولية وقرارات الأمم المتحدة.https://t.co/azzTGHGVCB#واس_عام pic.twitter.com/eQNexl896C
— واس العام (@SPAregions) July 24, 2025
The motion, advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is non-binding and the Kingdom reaffirmed its rejection of all violations committed by the Israeli authorities against the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights to self-determination.
It also called on the international community to take serious steps to implement UN resolutions that uphold the Palestinian people's inherent right to live in dignity on their land, within an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
has no direct legal implications, though it could place the issue of annexation on the agenda of future debates in the parliament.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Amount of aid entering Gaza remains ‘very insufficient'
BERLIN: The amount of aid entering Gaza remains 'very insufficient' despite a limited improvement, the German government said on Saturday after ministers discussed ways to heighten pressure on Israel. The criticism came after Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the region on Thursday and Friday, and the German military staged its first food airdrops into Gaza, where aid agencies say that more than 2 million Palestinians are facing starvation. Germany 'notes limited initial progress in the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population of the Gaza Strip, which, however, remains very insufficient to alleviate the emergency situation,' government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in a statement. The Israeli army is accused of having equipped Palestinian criminal networks in its fight against Hamas and of allowing them to plunder aid deliveries. 'Israel remains obligated to ensure the full delivery of aid,' Kornelius added. Facing mounting international criticism over its military operations in Gaza, Israel has allowed more trucks to cross the border and some foreign nations to carry out airdrops of food and medicines. International agencies say the amount of aid entering Gaza is still dangerously low, however. The UN has said that 6,000 trucks are awaiting permission from Israel to enter the occupied Palestinian territory. The German government, traditionally a strong supporter of Israel, also expressed 'concern regarding reports that Hamas and criminal organizations are withholding large quantities of humanitarian aid.' Israel has alleged that much of the aid arriving in the territory is being siphoned off by Hamas, which runs Gaza. The Israeli army is accused of having equipped Palestinian criminal networks in its fight against Hamas and of allowing them to plunder aid deliveries. 'The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces,' Jonathan Whittall of OCHA, the UN agency for coordinating humanitarian affairs, told reporters in May. A German government source said it had noted that Israel has 'considerably' increased the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza to about 220 a day. Berlin has taken a tougher line against Israel's actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in recent weeks. The source stated that a German security Cabinet meeting on Saturday discussed 'the different options' for exerting pressure on Israel, but no decision was made. A partial suspension of arms deliveries to Israel is one option that has been raised. Militants launched an attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel's military offensive on Gaza since then has killed at least 60,249 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The UN considers the ministry's figures reliable. Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the war and deal for the release of hostages ended last week in deadlock. Hamas said on Saturday that it would not lay down arms unless an independent Palestinian state is established. In a statement, the Palestinian group said its 'armed resistance ... cannot be relinquished except through the full restoration of our national rights, foremost among them the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.'


Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Scottish first minister calls Israel's actions in Gaza a ‘genocide'
LONDON: Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has for the first time described Israel's actions in Gaza as a 'genocide,' becoming the second UK national leader to do so after Northern Ireland's Michelle O'Neill, it was reported on Saturday. Speaking at an Edinburgh Fringe event that was repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, Swinney told reporters: 'It's quite clear that there is a genocide in Palestine, it can't be disputed. I have seen reports of terrible atrocities which have the character of being genocide. I've expressed that and obviously it's not reached all those individuals, but that's my feeling.' Swinney made his remarks following a disrupted appearance at the Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh, where protesters stood up holding letters spelling 'GENOCIDE' and chanted slogans including 'Call it genocide.' Security staff prevented demonstrators from approaching the stage as interruptions became increasingly forceful throughout the event. His comments, reported by The Guardian, come amid mounting pro-Palestinian pressure from within the governing Scottish National Party, including from elected representatives in both Holyrood and Westminster. Stephen Flynn, leader of the SNP's nine MPs in the House of Commons in Westminster, recently urged the UK government to recognize the situation in Gaza as a genocide during a parliamentary exchange. Israel has consistently denied committing genocide, maintaining that its military operations in Gaza are acts of self-defense in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks led by Hamas that left almost 1,200 people dead in Israel, mostly civilians, and more than 250 kidnapped. About 50 of those hostages remain in Gaza, with only 20 believed to be alive. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent military action by Israel against Hamas, with a further 1,350 queuing for aid killed by Israeli troops since May, according to UN data published this week. On Friday, at least 91 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in Gaza ahead of a visit by US envoy Steve Witkoff to Israel. Two leading Israeli human rights organizations, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, have also accused Israel of committing genocide, asserting that western allies have a legal and moral duty to act. Swinney's statement follows similar language used last month by Northern Ireland First Minister O'Neill, who said: 'It is inhumanity, it is genocide, it is wrong.' She also described Israel's actions as 'state terrorism.' The Scottish government has previously faced criticism over public money being used to support apprenticeships at firms involved in weapons manufacturing, though it does not directly fund the production of munitions. Defending that policy, Swinney said Scottish Enterprise, the government's commercial investment body, applies 'the strictest assessments imaginable about the purpose and the use of public expenditure in companies who may be related to defense industries.' Pressed on funding staff who could end up building munitions, he added: 'We are trying to enable companies to diversify their activities, that's the purpose. That's why the due diligence checks are applied and they are applied unreservedly.'


Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
A masterclass in diplomacy
Over the past 18 months, Riyadh has quietly delivered a masterclass in diplomacy, steadily reshaping how Western capitals approach the Palestinian file. Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the hands-on diplomacy of Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Kingdom has pursued a strategy rooted in hard-nosed pragmatism: Washington's strategic umbrella over Israel will not fold under fiery speeches or social media storms. Rather than waste energy on theatrics, Saudi Arabia has opted for a patient, cumulative approach — chipping away at Israel's aura of effortless Western legitimacy until the political calculus inside G7 capitals begins to shift. It may feel slow to the impatient observer, but in a world that rewards persistence over noise, this is how real influence is built. At the core of this approach is a sober understanding of limits, paired with precisely applied leverage. Saudi Arabia does not pretend it can strong-arm a superpower. Instead, it keeps oil markets steady and refrains from military theatrics — moves that earn quiet access where it matters most: in chancelleries, parliaments, and boardrooms that shape policy toward Israel. Critics mistake this restraint for timidity. In truth, it reflects a deeper wisdom: Decades of impulsive grandstanding have done little beyond plunging the region into chaos. Riyadh has learned that proportion, not provocation, delivers lasting results. The coalition-building effort began in Paris, where France, seeking Middle East relevance, found its regional ballast in Saudi Arabia. London, responding to domestic outrage over Gaza, followed suit; Ottawa, wary of standing alone in the G7, came next. Each recognition of Palestine may be symbolic, but symbolism is precisely what has underpinned Israel's hard-won status as a normalized Western democracy. Every fracture in that image raises the long-term reputational cost of occupation and embeds it into Israeli strategic thinking. This quiet momentum reflects the polling data: US support for Israel's Gaza operations has eroded sharply, especially among voters under 40. Demography is destiny. Riyadh is playing the long game — betting on time, not tantrums, to unwind Washington's old consensus. That consensus is already fraying on college campuses, in statehouses, and across ESG-conscious boardrooms. The tactic: maintain the spotlight on Gaza, deny any pretext for American disengagement, and let US voters begin to carry the moral and political weight. The crown prince made the Kingdom's position unequivocal in his Shoura Council address: There will be no recognition of Israel without a viable Palestinian state. This is not a revival of 1973-style oil brinkmanship — which in today's world would simply accelerate Western diversification and slash Arab revenues. Instead, Riyadh keeps markets stable while freezing Israel's regional integration until it engages seriously with a two-state solution. That keeps global consumers comfortable — and Israel on edge. Saudi diplomacy has achieved in 18 months what half a century of summitry and rhetoric failed to deliver. Ali Shihabi The promise of normalization remains on the table — but firmly behind a two-state gate. The Abraham Accords opened easy access to the Gulf. Saudi Arabia redrew that map. Sovereign capital, Red Sea connectivity, and cutting-edge partnerships are all within reach — but only post-settlement. The burden now shifts to Israel: It must explain to its own citizens why ideology should block a generational opportunity to transform from a garrison state to a regional player. When economic logic aligns with strategic necessity, ideology eventually yields. One of the most consequential developments came when Saudi Arabia, alongside other Arab states, publicly called for Hamas to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza. This decisive step stripped Israel of a convenient excuse to delay its withdrawal and continue its campaign of collective punishment. By removing the justification of 'no partner for peace,' it undercut Israel's excuse to prolong military operations and war crimes under the guise of self-defense — reinforcing the international call for an end to occupation and the need for a political solution. Those Muslim and Arab voices calling for boycotts, embargoes, or war have misread both history and the current moment. Power today lies in leverage applied at pressure points — not in slogans shouted from podiums. Saudi diplomacy has forced Western democracies, Israel's most critical club of supporters, to seriously reconsider the question of Palestinian statehood. It has achieved in 18 months what half a century of summitry and rhetoric failed to deliver. The task now is for other Arab capitals to reinforce this approach, consolidating influence rather than scattering it in performative gestures. Yes, Israel retains a US veto — for now. But no veto can stop demographic shifts in swing states, the quiet pressure of British MPs attuned to their constituents, or the economic calculus of European firms navigating boycott risks. In time, Israel will face a stark choice: perpetual siege and growing isolation, or coexistence with a sovereign Palestinian neighbor. Saudi Arabia today holds the key to that door — and remains the only real diplomatic lifeline for Ramallah. In the battlefields of 2025 — conference rooms, boardrooms, and social media feeds — the Kingdom advances quietly, methodically, and on its own terms. For those who value outcomes over optics, this is not caution. It is wisdom.