OSLO, February 11, 2026 (WAFA) – Following the Israeli occupation authorities’ recent approval of sweeping changes to land registration and civil control, President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday called for urgent action to halt Israel’s annexation of the occupied West Bank.
President Abbas made his remarks during a meeting with the President of the Norwegian Parliament (the Storting), Masud Gharahkhani, in Olso.
He extended his appreciation to Norway for its positions on the Palestinian Question and the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, which culminated in its formal recognition of Palestine as a state, which took effect on May 28, 2024, as well as for its continued humanitarian and development assistance.
He briefed the President of the Norwegian Parliament, Gharahkhani, on the situation in Palestine and the efforts to consolidate the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, alleviate the suffering of Palestinians, advance reconstruction, prevent displacement and annexation, and halt escalating Israeli violations in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, especially colonial expansion and threats to Islamic and Christian holy sites.
He also informed Gharahkhani about the Israeli violations affecting the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the recent decisions aimed at deepening annexation, paving the way for expanding colonial settlement construction, land grab, and infringements upon holy sites.
President Abbas stressed the need to halt these measures designed to undermine the institutions of the Palestinian state and the two-state solution, and entrench Israel’s 58-year-old military occupation of the West Bank and its settler colonial project, in violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.
He urged the EU and the international community to take urgent and effective action to halt these measures and hold the Israeli government accountable for its ongoing violations, in a manner that preserves the credibility of the international system based on respect for law and the UN Charter.
He also urged Norway, the EU, the US, and all international partners to pressure Israel to cease the financial war it has been waging against the Palestinians, including the illegal deductions from Palestinian tax revenues, which limit the government’s ability to fulfill its obligations, while emphasizing the necessity of releasing all withheld funds.
He called on the Norwegian Parliament to continue its pioneering role in supporting human rights and holding the occupation accountable for its breaches of international law, in a way that ensures the establishment of the independent, viable, territorially integral Palestinian state based on the borders of 1967 and with the capital in Eastern Jerusalem.
The President briefed the President of Norway’s Parliament on the comprehensive national reform program being implemented by the Palestinian government to develop and modernize the legal and institutional system, consolidate the rule of law, strengthen the principles of good governance, transparency, and accountability, and ensure the separation of powers. He affirmed that municipal elections will be held in April, Fatah’s General Conference in May, and the Palestinian National Council’s elections in next November.
K.F.
