The British Foreign Office said in a statement on Monday that the major changes proposed regarding territory, executive and administrative powers in the West Bank would harm efforts to promote peace and stability.
She added: "Britain strongly condemns the decision issued yesterday by the Israeli Security Cabinet to expand Israeli control over the West Bank."
The British Foreign Office stressed that any attempt to unilaterally alter the geographic or demographic composition of Palestine is completely unacceptable and violates international law. It called on Israel to immediately reverse these decisions.
She continued: "The two-state solution remains the only viable way to achieve a lasting peace, in which a secure and stable Israel coexists with a sovereign and viable Palestinian state."
For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep concern over a series of decisions taken by Israel to increase inspection and control activities in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.
A statement issued Monday by the office of the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said : "The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about reports of the Israeli Security Cabinet's decision to take a series of administrative and executive measures in Areas A and B of the occupied West Bank."
The statement indicated that these decisions, along with current developments on the ground, undermine the chances of a two-state solution, stressing that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have no legal legitimacy and constitute a clear violation of international law, including relevant United Nations resolutions.
The statement stressed that the continued Israeli presence in the occupied Palestinian territories, including such measures, is not only a destabilizing factor, but also a violation of international law, calling on Israel to reverse these decisions.
In a related context, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries called on the international community on Monday to take firm stances to stop the violations and illegal measures announced by the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, expressed his strong condemnation of the illegal decisions and measures announced by the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied West Bank, including attempts to impose unilateral realities that contradict the principles of international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.
Al-Badawi stressed in his statement that “the illegal and unilateral steps taken by the Israeli occupation forces to impose sovereignty are a clear violation of international law, international resolutions and existing agreements concluded in this regard,” calling on “the international community to bear its legal responsibilities, take firm positions to stop these violations and ensure respect for international humanitarian law.”
The GCC reiteratedits firm position regarding the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, and to achieve their aspirations to live in dignity and peace.
According to the 1995 Oslo II Accord, the West Bank is divided into three areas: Area A, under full Palestinian Authority control; Area B, under Palestinian civil administration and Israeli security control; and Area C, under full Israeli control. Area C comprises approximately 61 percent of the West Bank.
On Sunday, the Israeli security cabinet approved a series of decisions that increase Israeli "inspection and control activities" in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.
