Riyadh, February 14, 2023, SPA -- Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi, condemned the Israeli authorities' endorsement of a draft law approving a number of settlement outposts and the plans to build thousands of new settlement units in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the city of Al Quds. Furthermore, the GCC Secretary-General called on the international community to put pressure on the Israeli authorities to reverse those decisions, which are a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and relevant United Nations resolutions, in addition to violating the rights of the Palestinian people and constituting a significant obstacle to the revival of peace in the Middle East region. He reiterated the firm stance of the GCC states towards the Palestinian cause as the first concern of Arabs and Muslims and the support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Al Quds as its capital, the return of refugees, and the two-state solution in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and the resolutions of international legitimacy. The GCC Secretary-General called upon the international community and influential countries to make efforts to resume the peace process and negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian side. --SPA 19:32 LOCAL TIME 16:32 GMT 0020 www.spa.gov.sa/w1854222