Hamas issued a statement on Wednesday after parliament voted in favor of a bill that would apply the usurper’s law to all settlements in the West Bank and another, more limited bill that would annex the Ma’ale Adumim settlement. These bills would need to pass three more votes in the full chamber to become law.
Resistance groups said the move shows Israel’s continued efforts to “legalize” settlements and impose “sovereignty” on the occupied Palestinian territories, and is in flagrant violation of international law and resolutions.
Israel bears full responsibility for the outcome of the annexation bill, and called on the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to condemn the document, act to rein in its occupation policies, and hold the regime accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people.
“Hamas affirms that the occupation forces’ frenzied attempts to annex lands in the West Bank are null and void and illegal,” Hamas said in a statement. “History, international law, and the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will not change the fact that the West Bank is Palestinian land.”
In July 2024, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion stating that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is “illegal” and should be ended as soon as possible.
In a separate advisory opinion on Wednesday, the Hague-based court said Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation to cooperate with U.N. agencies to facilitate humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip, condemning the regime’s inhumane blockade of the Palestinian territory amid a genocidal war.
The court also said Israel has failed to substantiate claims that the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA) lacks neutrality or that a significant number of its staff are members of Hamas or other resistance groups.
The opinion was requested by the UN General Assembly in December 2024 after Israel banned UNRWA and significantly reduced its ability to provide aid to Gaza.
RHM/