Arab countries condemn Israel's 'opportunistic scheme' for Golan Heights expansion

Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq have condemned Israel's move to expand settlements in the Golan Heights.

This comes after the Israeli government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's NIS 40 million plan to encourage demographic growth in the Golan Heights, according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday.

Netanyahu has expressed a desire to double the population of the Golan after Israel's north suffered over a year of devastation due to the war.

The UAE, in an official statement, said it "strongly condemned the Israeli government's decision to expand settlements in the Golan Heights, which threatens further escalation and tension in the region."

The UAE's Foreign Ministry said the UAE is committed to "the unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria," and that the expansion of settlements in the Golan would be in "continued violation of international law."

"The ministry expressed the UAE's categorical rejection of all measures and practices aimed at changing the legal status in the occupied Golan Heights, and threatening the security, sovereignty, and stability of the Syrian Arab Republic."

Echoing similar sentiments, Qatar condemned the expansion approval, "considering it a new episode in a series of Israeli aggressions on Syrian territories and a blatant violation of international law."

'International law violation'

Qatar urged the international community to fulfill its "legal and moral" responsibilities to stop Israeli "aggressions on Syrian territories."

Qatar referred to Israel's plan as an "opportunistic scheme."

Iraq also denounced the decision, likewise referring to it as a "flagrant violation of international laws."

The country's foreign ministry affirmed its belief that the Golan is occupied Syrian territory and that any attempts to change its status "are null and void."

Saudi Arabia said Israel was perpetrating a "continued sabotage of Syria's chances of restoring its security and stability" and similarly expressed the view that the Golan is occupied Syrian land.