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Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s latest move to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property”, calling on the international community to reject its actions, according to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO). Al Jazeera reported on Sunday that the Israeli government had approved the proposal to claim large areas of the occupied territory as property of the state if Palestinians could not prove ownership, a move which prompted outcry from Palestinian group Hamas, the Palestinian presidency, and political analysts. “Pakistan strongly condemns the latest attempt by the Israeli occupying power to convert areas of the Occupied West Bank into so-called state property, and to expand illegal settlement activities,” the statement said. It pointed out that these steps clearly violated international law and relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, stressing that they “must be rejected” by the international community. “The occupying power’s continued disregard for international law and its provocative actions undermine the prospects for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region,” it added. “Pakistan calls on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law,” the statement said. It once again reaffirmed full support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and for the establishment of an “independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital”. Most Palestinian land is not formally registered because it is a long, complicated process that Israel stopped in 1967. Regis­tra­tion of land establishes permanent ownership. International law states an occupying power cannot confiscate land in occupied territories. Palestinian group Hamas had condemned the decision on Sunday, calling it an attempt “to steal and Judaise lands in the occupied West Bank by registering them as so-called ‘state lands’”. However, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz described the move as an “essential security and governance measure designed to ensure control, enforcement, and full freedom of action for the state of Israel in the area”, according to the Jerusalem Post.

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A Jerusalem Post news roundup covers top stories, including actor Hugh Laurie facing backlash and an Israeli muay thai fighter achieving a triumph.

Ramadan’s first Friday prayers are held at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque  AP News

JERUSALEM: Israel on Wednesday imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem and capped the worshippers number at 10,000 during the holy month of Ramazan which began on Wednesday. The Israeli authorities also imposed age restrictions on West Bank Palestinians, permitting entry only to men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to age 12 to attend the Friday prayers. “Ten thousand Palestinian worshippers will be permitted to enter the Temple Mount for Friday prayers throughout the month of Ramadan, subject to obtaining a dedicated daily permit in advance,” COGAT, the Israeli agency in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement. “Entry for men will be permitted from age 55, for women from age 50, and for children up to age 12 when accompanied by a first-degree relative.” COGAT said, adding that restrictions apply only to Palestinians travelling from the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Imam of Al Aqsa arrested by Israeli police; Hamas condemns arrest, restrictions on worshippers’ access to holy mosque “It is emphasised that all permits are conditional upon prior security approval by the relevant security authorities,” COGAT said. “In addition, residents travelling to prayers at the Temple Mount will be required to undergo digital documentation at the crossings upon their return to the areas of Judea and Samaria at the conclusion of the prayer day,” it said, using the Biblical term for the West Bank. During Ramazan, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed in a move that is not internationally recognised. Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, the attendance of worshippers has declined due to tough Israeli restrictions. Israel arrests Al Aqsa Mosque Imam Israeli police on Monday arrested the Imam of Al Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Moh­am­med al-Abbasi, from inside the mosque’s courtyards in occupied Jerusalem. The Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing local sources, reported that Israeli forces detained Sheikh al-Abbasi inside the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque without giving any reason. It said the arrest “comes amid escalating Israeli measures against the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque, including restrictions on imams, preachers and worshippers stationed there, limitations on the entry of worshippers, and intensifying incursions carried out by settlers under heavy protection from Israeli police”. On Tuesday, Hamas condemned the arrest of al-Abbasi in a statement, saying he had been “served with an order banning him from the mosque”. The movement said the measure “constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of Al Aqsa and an unacceptable assault on its imams”. Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2026

• Pakistan asks international community to reject provocative decision allowing takeover of occupied land as state property • EU calls annexation illegal, Arab nations denounce ‘threat to peace efforts’ • Israel imposes restrictions, deploys police around Al-Aqsa JERUSALEM / ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan denounced the latest Israeli move to convert areas of the West Bank into “state property”, the UN chief called upon Tel Aviv to reverse its new, “unlawful” policy allowing registration of the occupied land in the occupied territory as state property. Israel’s foreign ministry claimed the measure, approved late on Sunday, would enable “transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes” but the move drew strong condemnations from across the globe for its violation of international law. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this new measure was destabilising and unlawful, according to a statement by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Pakistan also denounced the step as a clear violation of international law as well as relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Islamabad urged the international community to reject the decision, said a statement issued by the For­eign Office spokesperson. It added that the occupying power continued to disregard international law and its provocative actions undermined the prospects for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region. “Pakistan calls on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law,” the spokesperson added. ‘Undermine peace efforts’ Arab nations Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan also criticised the move as illegal. The measure is “aimed at impo­sing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank” that would undermine peace efforts in the region, Saudi Arabia’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement. Jordan’s King Abdullah II said the actions “undermine efforts to restore calm and thr­e­aten to exacerbate the conflict,” according to a statement released by the royal court. The European Union called on Israel to reverse the move. “This constitutes a new escalation after recent measures already aimed at extending Israeli control,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni said. “We reiterate that annexation is illegal under international law.” The Ramallah-based Palest­inian Authority called for inte­r­national intervention to prevent the “de facto beginning of the annexation process and the undermining of the foundations of the Palestinian state”. Israeli anti-settlement watc­­h­dog Peace Now called the measure a “mega land grab”. Jonathan Mizrachi, the NGO’s co-director, told AFP that the move would attribute new resources for land registration. “There was a lot of ambiguity regarding the land, and Israel decided now to deal with it,” Mizrachi said, adding that the grey area over Area C land ownership was likely to be used against Palestinians. “A lot of land that Palestinians consider theirs, they will find out it’s not theirs under this new registration process,” he said, believing the move would further the Israeli right’s annexation agenda. Changing demography Palestinians see the West Bank as foundational to any future Palesti­nian state, but many on Israel’s religious right want to take over the land. The latest Israeli initiatives come in the wider context of increasing attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to rights groups. “We are witnessing rapid steps to change permanently the demography of the occupied Palestinian territory, stripping its people of their lands and forcing them to leave,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a recent statement. US President Donald Trump has opposed Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, saying stability in the territory helps keep Israel secure. However, he has held off from dire­ctly criticising the new Israeli measures, despite the international outrage. Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law. Around three million Palestinians live in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Al-Aqsa restrictions Israeli police said Monday that they would deploy in force around the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramazan, as Palestinian officials accused Israel of imposing restrictions at the compound. Over the course of the month of fasting and prayer, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Islam’s third-holiest site. Arad Braverman, a senior Jerusalem police officer, said forces would be deployed “day and night” across the compound, adding that thousands of police would also be on duty for Friday prayers. Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem. The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55. Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026