Maldives government late Tuesday, condemned the announcement by Israel to establish an agency aimed at the forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, along with plans to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel has announced plans set to establish a government agency that would oversee the “voluntary departure” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
In addition to displacing Palestinians from Gaza, Israel’s Security Cabinet has also approved a plan to separate and legalise 13 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement, said the Maldives government considers these actions by Israel a serious violation of international law and United Nations (UN) resolutions.
“Forced displacement and settlement expansion undermine peace efforts and threaten the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people,” the statement said.
“The Maldives calls on the international community to act urgently to protect civilians and help end the violence in Gaza.”
The Maldives in the statement also reiterated its support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate right to an independent state based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israeli nationalists have long sought the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli move follows suggestions from United States President Donald Trump that residents of Gaza should be moved to other countries.
Palestinian reports estimate that by the end of 2024, approximately 770,000 illegal Israeli settlers were living in 180 settlements and 256 outposts across the occupied territory.
The UN considers all Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories illegal under international law.
Israel's military meanwhile has pressed ground operations across the Gaza Strip, almost a week into a renewed assault on the Palestinian territory.
The war triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel had killed at least 50,021 people in the territory, the Gaza health ministry has said.