Arab foreign ministers rejected today the US decision that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967 does not violate international law.

Following an extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, the foreign ministers said that the US decision is null and void and has no legal effect and is a clear violation of the UN Charter and relevant resolutions, including Security Council Resolution 2334 of 2016.

Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that the US no longer considers the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as inconsistent with international law.

Meanwhile, the ministers warned that the approach taken by the US administration to adopt unilateral decisions, in flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions, is a real threat to security, peace and stability in the Middle East and the world.

They also considered the US decision as an attempt to legitimize and support the Israeli settlement that would actually prejudice the Arab peace initiative, which calls for the withdrawal of Israel, the occupying power, to the lines of June 4, 1967, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and finding a just and agreed solution to the refugee issue according to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948.

The ministers instructed the Arab Group in New York and the Arab member of the Security Council to initiate the necessary efforts and consultations to confront the American decision regarding Israeli settlements.