Saudi flag
Saudi flagiStock

Saudi Arabia on Thursday denounced Israel’s plans to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria.

In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “affirms the Kingdom’s rejection of the Israeli measures and plans to annex Palestinian lands in the West Bank and impose Israeli sovereignty over them.”

“The kingdom denounces any unilateral actions, and any violations of internationally- sanctioned resolutions or any measures that might undermine the chances of resuming the peace process to achieve security and stability in the region,” the statement added.

The Saudi Ministry also said it reaffirms the Kingdom's “steadfast stance towards the brotherly Palestinian people and that it has consistently stood by the them and supported their choices and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

The statement comes in the wake of the coalition agreement between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, which stipulates that the government can apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria this coming July.

During the swearing-in ceremony of the new Israeli government this past Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated his support for the sovereignty move.

The plan has been condemned by the Palestinian Authority, which says that an application of sovereignty by Israel would be “illegal”.

The PA has received the backing of the Arab League, which said several weeks ago that an Israeli proposal to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria constituted a "new war crime" against the Palestinian Arabs.