AMMAN — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has “strongly” condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the occupied West Bank and his statements opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

 

In a statement on Monday, the ministry described the visit and the statements as a “blatant violation of international law and a direct challenge to international consensus supporting the two-state solution.”

 

Netanyahu has said that he has kept his promise to prevent the estbalihsment of a Palestinian state, during a visit to the West Bank settlement of Ofra on the 50th anniversary of its founding, according to Israeli media.

 

Recalling visiting the occupied West Bank 25 years ago, Netanyahu said, “We would do everything to ensure our continued hold on the Land of Israel, to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, to thwart the attempts that existed then, and unfortunately still exist, to try to uproot us from here. Thank God, what I promised, we kept.”

 

“Pressures from home, pressures from abroad, a series of American presidents who wanted to uproot us and to establish a Palestinian state here. We stood firm together. We upheld the promise of the generations,” he said.

 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah reaffirmed that Israel holds no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories, condemning the “ongoing provocative actions and rhetoric by members of the Israeli government, which entrench illegal occupation and settlement activity.”

 

Qudah cited UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which denounces Israeli efforts to alter the demographic makeup, character, and status of the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. He also referenced an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which called for an end to the occupation and deemed the annexation of Palestinian land invalid.

 

The spokesperson warned that continued unilateral Israeli actions and expansionist plans in the West Bank risk further escalation and instability in the region, calling for a “firm” international response to condemn such actions and highlight their potentially dangerous consequences.

 

Qudah also urged the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities by pressuring Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza, cease its escalation in the West Bank, and stop inflammatory statements by its officials.

 

He also called for protection of the Palestinian people and support for their legitimate right to establish an independent, sovereign state, while also emphasising the need to hold perpetrators of violations accountable.

 

Netanyahu has reignited tensions in the region with remarks endorsing the idea of a so-called “greater Israel.” The comments were made during an August 12 interview with Israel’s i24 News, where Netanyahu, presented with a pendant depicting the so-called “Promised Land”, said he was “absolutely” committed to this vision and described himself as being on a “historic and spiritual mission” to achieve it.

 

Israeli far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he will approve plans to build more than 3,000 homes in a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank, saying the move “buries the idea of a Palestinian state”.