Riyadh: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassim Mohammed Albudaiwi expressed his condemnation in the strongest terms of the Israeli occupation authorities' decision to convert areas of the occupied West Bank into what they term "state property."

According to Qatar News Agency, Albudaiwi emphasized that this decision represents a flagrant and grave violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions, and serves as an expansion of illegal settlement policies, necessitating a firm international stance.

"These aggressive practices constitute a blatant infringement on the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people and a systematic attempt to seize their lands," Albudaiwi underscored, adding that this is a clear defiance of the will of the international community and United Nations resolutions, which affirm the illegality of settlements and the necessity of ending the occupation.

Furthermore, Albudaiwi called upon the international community to take immediate and practical steps to halt these serious violations and to compel the Israeli occupation authorities to cease their settlement policies and unilateral decisions that threaten security and stability in the region.

Finally, the GCC Secretary-General reaffirmed the GCC's steadfast position in support of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the establishment of an independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.