India has added its name to the list of countries criticizing Israel’s unilateral actions on the West Bank

India has added its name to the list of countries criticizing Israel’s unilateral actions on the West Bank. India did not join the original group of 85 countries that announced the announcement on Tuesday (February 17, 2026).

The declaration was endorsed by the League of Arab States; European Union; BRICS founding members are Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa; India’s quad partners are Australia and Japan; and neighboring countries including Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius and Pakistan. This comes ahead of a United Nations conference on the issue and a US-led Peace Council meeting in Washington on Thursday.

The joint statement was issued at a “stakeout” on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) and was read by the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, along with diplomats from dozens of countries that have co-signed the document.

“We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and actions aimed at expanding Israel’s illegal presence in the West Bank,” said Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s ambassador to the UN.

“In this regard we emphasize our strong opposition to any kind of merger,” Mr. Mansour said the statement rejected all actions “intended to change the demographic composition, nature and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem”.

Over the past few months, following the ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli Knesset has approved several plans to tighten its control over land in the Palestinian West Bank’s “A” and “B” areas, which have been administered by the Palestinian Authority since the Oslo Accords (1993-1995). The measures include removing restrictions on outsiders acquiring land and checking documentation for those currently living on the land, which is seen as a precursor to occupying and seizing land as Israeli settlers have done elsewhere.

“Such actions violate international law, undermine ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region, run counter to the Comprehensive Plan and jeopardize the possibility of reaching a peace agreement to end the conflict,” the statement said.

Ahead of the development, India’s absence from the announcement drew sharp criticism from diplomats on social media. KC Singh, a former ambassador to Iran, said it was “sad that India chose Israel’s corner so brazenly” and questioned whether the move was also linked to helping India’s ties with the US.

“Strategic autonomy is meant to expand India’s options, not narrow its moral vocabulary. If autonomy becomes a complete avoidance of normative positions, it looks like independence and hedging,” wrote former foreign secretary Nirupama Menon Rao.

On January 31, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hosted a meeting of the League of Arab States and met Palestinian Foreign Minister Warsen Aghabekian Shahin. It is unclear whether Mr. Jaishankar discussed Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel after July 2017 and whether Modi is also planning a visit to Palestine like in February 2018.

The visit to Israel has been under discussion for weeks and comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed his visit to India last November due to security concerns. Mr Modi’s visit to Israel also comes weeks after the release of the “Epstein Files” in the US, where the late American investor and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein claimed in a correspondence with a Qatari interlocutor that Mr Modi “danced and sang” at the behest of US President Donald Trump.