Egyptian flag
Egyptian flagiStock

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday evening condemned the Regulation Law, which the Knesset approved on Monday, saying it undermines the two-state solution.

"The bill is considered an establishment of the illegal status of settlements in violation of international laws and conventions as well as the UN Security Council's relevant resolutions," Egyptian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement quoted by the Xinhua news agency.

He added that such unilateral measures would obstruct the efforts to revive the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Abu Zeid also stressed "the right of the Palestinian people to establish their own state on their complete territories with East Jerusalem as its capital city."

Egypt, which is one of two Arab countries to have signed a peace treaty with Israel, has been at the forefront of attempts to renew peace talks between Israel and the PA.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi several months ago urged Israelis and Palestinian Arabs to seize what he said was a "real opportunity" for peace and hailed his own country's peace deal with Israel.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, made a rare visit to Israel this past July, during which he met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and stressed that his country is committed “to supporting a just, comprehensive and sustainable resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict”.

The Regulation Law came under fire from several countries on Tuesday. The EU delayed a meeting between EU and Israeli officials long seen as a step towards mending strained relations, in response to Israel’s approval of the Regulation Law.

The summit, slated for the end of February, has now been postponed indefinitely.

Later on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini condemned the Regulation Law and said it "crosses a new and dangerous threshold by legalizing under Israeli law the seizure of Palestinian property rights".

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres slammed the passage of the law as well, calling the move illegal under international law.

"This bill is in contravention of international law and will have far reaching legal consequences for Israel," Guterres said in a statement.