Palestine’s envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Riyad Mansour, has called on powerful international partners to stop Israel’s latest steps to annex the West Bank. Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Mansour described Israel’s actions as “the annexation of the land of the Palestinian people.” The Israeli security cabinet approved plans on Sunday to make it easier for Israelis to seize Palestinian lands and buy property in the West Bank, increasing Israel’s military control. Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. Building settlements there violates international law. The International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that these settlements and related regimes violate international law. Israeli Minister Eli Cohen said these moves represent “de facto sovereignty” over the West Bank. Palestine, backed by Arab and Muslim countries, is diplomatically opposing what it calls an “illegal” effort. Mansour stated, “We hope and expect that the powerful partners … [will] stop Israel in its track[s] from getting away with this very violation of international law.” The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned Israel’s “illegal decisions” and said the expansionist policies “only serve to fuel violence and conflict in the region,” according to Turkey’s UN ambassador Ahmet Yildiz. Israel’s push to tighten control over the West Bank comes ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States. US President Donald Trump, though a strong supporter of Israel, has voiced opposition to West Bank annexation before.