The Maldives government has condemned a decision by Israel’s cabinet to approve the construction of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Maldivian government reiterated that all Israeli settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal under international law and a serious breach of United Nations Security Council resolution 2334.
The statement also stated that this move could further undermine efforts to achieve a lasting peace, increase tensions on the ground, and threaten the viability of a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The Maldives also called on the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities, urging stronger action to ensure accountability and to hold Israel accountable for gross human rights violation and its blatant disregard for the longstanding 'status quo' governing one of the holiest sites of the Islamic Ummah.
The Maldives reaffirmed its 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.