Post #28328

🎙Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's response to a media question regarding the decision of the Israeli Government to tighten control in the West Bank (10 February 2026) ❓Question: According to incoming reports, on February 8, the Israeli Government, at a meeting of its inter-ministerial Commission on National Security, approved a package of measures that unilaterally revises the rules for land registration and property acquisition in the West Bank. This may imply the lifting of a long-standing ban on non-Muslims acquiring land in the area. At the same time, Israeli authorities would assume control over holy sites revered by followers of all Abrahamic religions, as well as oversight of compliance with environmental legislation. What is the position of the Russian MFA on this matter? 💬Maria Zakharova: The official text of this decision has not yet been published. However, it has already provoked sharp criticism from Palestinians and across the Arab-Muslim world. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) views it as an open attempt to “legalize the expansion of settlements, land confiscation and the destruction of Palestinian property in areas under Palestinian sovereignty”. The new Israeli decisions concerning the West Bank warrant condemnation by the international community and give rise to serious concern. An attempt has been made to depart from the spirit and provisions of the Oslo II Accord, concluded in 1995 between Israel and the PNA. Another blow is being dealt to the prospects for stabilizing the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and for a final settlement of the Palestinian issue on the well-known international legal basis, with the two-State solution at its core. ☝️We call on the Israeli authorities to reconsider the planned steps aimed at altering the status quo in the West Bank, in order to avoid further dangerous escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and throughout the region.