The Government of the Republic of Maldives has issued a strong condemnation of the Israeli Cabinet’s decision to approve the establishment of nineteen new settlements in the Occupied West Bank.

In its statement, the Maldives reaffirmed that all Israeli settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal under international law and represents a serious breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334.

The Government warned that such unilateral measures erode the prospects for a just and lasting peace, fuel violence, and jeopardise the viability of a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Calling upon the international community to uphold its legal and moral obligations, the Maldives urged global actors to ensure accountability and to take effective steps to compel Israel to halt settlement expansion and other unlawful practices against the Palestinian people.

The statement concluded by reaffirming the Maldives’ unwavering support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, and its firm commitment to the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine.