Saudi Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli approval of 19 settlements in West Bank

A helicopter flies over the Israeli settlement of Shilo in the occupied West Bank on December 14, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 16 December 2025
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Saudi Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli approval of 19 settlements in West Bank

  • Ministry says Israeli plan violates UN resolutions, calls on international community to act to end it
  • Among the settlements are ‘Ganim’ and ‘Kadim,’ two locations near Jenin that were evacuated in the 2005 disengagement plan

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned on Tuesday the Israeli government’s approval to construct 19 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

It said the Israeli plan violates UN resolutions and called on the international community to act to end it.

“(The Kingdom) affirms its strong position in supporting the brotherly Palestinian people and continuing its efforts aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant international resolutions,” it said, according to a statement.

Last week, the Israeli Cabinet approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the West Bank, a proposal submitted by the far-right Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Among these settlements are “Ganim” and “Kadim,” two locations near Jenin that were evacuated in 2005 as part of the disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank.


Saudi and New Zealand foreign ministers discussed Mideast situation

Updated 10 March 2026
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Saudi and New Zealand foreign ministers discussed Mideast situation

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed the current situation in the Middle East with New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Peters expressed New Zealand’s condemnation of Iran’s indiscriminate attacks on the Kingdom and thanked Riyadh for its efforts to protect foreign nationals, including New Zealanders inside the Kingdom.
The Saudi military has shot down numerous missiles and drones fired by Tehran toward the Kingdom since the US and Israel began a large-scale military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28.
The Saudi Defense Ministry said early Tuesday that it had shot down a ballistic missile in the Eastern Province after knocking out several drones targeting the Shaybah oil field in the Empty quarter on Friday evening.