OIC, GCC Denounce Israeli Plans to Build More Colonial Units

This photograph shows the Israeli settlement of Efrata built on the land of the Palestinian town of Al-Khader in the Bethlehem governorate in the occupied West Bank on March 6, 2024. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) denounced on Thursday Israel’s plan to build 3,500 new settlement units in the West Bank.
The OIC condemned “Israel’s continued colonial policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, the latest of which was approving the establishment of 3,500 new colonial units”.
In a press statement on its website, the OIC stressed that Israel’s colonial policies are illegal and unlawful under international law, the Geneva convention and the related UN resolutions.
It voiced calls on the international community to shoulder their responsibility and help put an end to the crimes and violations committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians and the holy land of Jerusalem .
On his part, Secretary-General of the GCC Jasem Mohammed Albudaiwi denounced Israel’s decision to build the settlements.
The decision “affirms the Israeli forces’ lack of respect for laws and international and UN resolutions” the GCC Secretariat General said in a statement quoting Albudaiwi.
He concluded saying that such decisions only negatively affect stability and security in the region and the world, and also diminish the prospects for peace.