India aligned itself with over 100 nations and global organizations in a sharp rebuke of Israel’s recent moves in the West Bank. The joint statement, circulated Wednesday by the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine at the United Nations, labels the Israeli decisions as violations of international law.

“We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank,” the statement declares. It calls for their immediate reversal and expresses firm opposition to any annexation efforts.

The text highlights rejection of measures that alter the demographic makeup, character or status of Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem. Such steps, it argues, breach international law, sabotage peace initiatives, contradict the Quartet’s Thorough Plan and threaten any future agreement to end the conflict.

Signatories reaffirm that a lasting settlement must draw from United Nations resolutions, the 1991 Madrid terms of reference with its land-for-peace principle, and the Arab Peace Initiative. They insist that ending the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and pursuing a two-state solution offer the sole route to enduring security and stability in the region.

India’s addition bolsters a list that earlier included 85 countries issuing a similar statement on February 17. New Delhi was absent from that initial group but later endorsed the expanded version now exceeding 100 participants.

New Delhi has long championed Palestinian statehood. Officials view a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine—living peacefully alongside Israel within secure, recognized borders—as essential to resolving the conflict. India holds the distinction of being the first non-Arab nation to recognize Palestine back in 1988.

The West Bank actions in question involve Israeli steps perceived as consolidating control over occupied land. Critics, including the statement’s backers, see them as steps toward formal annexation, a prospect roundly rejected in the document.

Israel has not immediately responded to the latest statement. Past reactions from Jerusalem have defended settlement expansions as necessary for security and historical claims, while dismissing much international criticism as biased.

This development comes amid heightened tensions in the region. Ongoing violence between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, coupled with stalled peace talks, has drawn repeated global attention. The Quartet—comprising the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia—has long pushed its roadmap for peace, which the statement references.

India’s move reinforces its balanced yet pro-Palestinian stance in Middle East diplomacy. New Delhi maintains ties with both Israel and Palestine, boosting defense and technology cooperation with Israel even as it backs Palestinian aspirations.

The statement’s breadth—spanning over 100 entities—signals widespread unease with the trajectory in the West Bank. From Latin American republics to African union members and European states, the coalition reflects a near-consensus view on the legal and diplomatic perils of unilateral changes.