Palestine presses Philippines for action after Israel expands West Bank control

MANILA, Philippines — Palestine's ambassador to the Philippines is calling on Manila to impose sanctions — including possible trade boycotts — against Israel after it recently gave itself more power to tighten control over the West Bank.

In a phone interview with Philstar.com, Palestinian Ambassador Mounir Anastas said the embassy directly reached out to Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro on Tuesday urging more concrete actions against Israel, as part of Palestine's broader calls to the international community. It has yet to receive a response.

The Palestinian embassy sent the department a formal statement calling for "meaningful diplomatic and economic consequences" on Israel over its February 8 decision to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move has been criticized as a de-facto annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory.

Israel has long maintained broad control over the West Bank, but the newly approved plan would make it easier for Jewish settlers to purchase land in the area. More than 500,000 Israelis currently live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, while around three million Palestinians also reside in the territory.

Philstar.com has reached out to the Israeli Embassy in Manila for comment. We will update this article with their response.

'A flagrant and deliberate assault on international law'

In the February 9 statement, the Palestinian ambassador described the Israeli security cabinet's decisions as "a flagrant and deliberate assault on international law and the prospect of a just peace."=

"The State of Israel persists in its war of attrition against our land, our rights, and our very future," the statement read. "The recent cabinet decisions are not an anomaly but a continuation of a decades-long policy of colonization, designed to annex Palestinian territory piece by piece."

The statement said the measures — including "the approval of new settlements, the demolition of Palestinian homes, and the revocation of residency rights" — breach the Fourth Geneva Convention and defy multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

It also warned of escalating settler violence against Palestinian civilians.

The embassy laid out four demands: that the international community, including the Philippine government, condemn the February 8 decision as illegal; impose diplomatic and economic consequences on Israel; demand international protection for Palestinian civilians; and recognize the State of Palestine on all territories occupied since 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

What would "meaningful diplomatic and economic consequences" look like? 

"It is similar to what is done and measures that are taken by countries when a country is in breach of international humanitarian law and international law," Anastas explained, comparing it to sanctions by European governments against Russia and Iran.

He pointed to the Netherlands, which has already scaled back military cooperation and trade with Israel despite not having recognized Palestinian statehood.

Asked whether the situation now warrants the Philippines reconsidering its ties with Israel, Anastas said that is exclusively within Manila's ambit, but made clear he expected the country to act consistently with its principles.

"The Philippines is committed to the respect of human rights and to the international law, and the Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank, including the decisions that have been taken on Sunday, are in clear and total contradiction with international law," he said in the interview.

"What would be the action taken by the Philippines, it's up to the government of the Philippines to decide what would be the most appropriate action to take."

Philippines' balancing act

Manila's long and layered ties with Israel make it unlikely that sanctions would be on the horizon soon. The Philippines was the only Asian country to vote for the 1947 UN resolution that paved the way for the creation of the Israeli state, and the two countries have maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1957. 

About 30,000 Filipino workers — mostly caregivers — live and work in Israel. Israel is also a key defense supplier to the Philippines, providing arms, patrol aircraft, and counterterrorism training. As recently as July 2025, the Philippines and Israel held their first round of talks to explore a future free trade agreement.

At the same time, the Philippines has recognized the State of Palestine and has voted in favor of UN resolutions critical of Israeli actions in Gaza. The DFA has consistently advocated for a two-state solution. It has never imposed economic or diplomatic penalties on Israel nor expressed the possibility of such.

Philstar.com has reached out to the DFA for comment and will update this article with their response.

Last year, amid an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, the DFA reiterated its neutral position to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Our position is always consistent, that we support the two-state solution, which envisions an independent Israel, an independent Palestine, in one territory with well-defined borders," Aguilar-Usudan told reporters. "I think pressure is not the solution to this, but dialogue and understanding," Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Germinia Aguilar-Usudan had said.

READ: Philippines reiterates 'balanced approach' to Israel-Palestine conflict

What Israel approved

The February 8 decisions approved by Israel's security cabinet represent some of the most sweeping steps to consolidate control over the West Bank in years.

The measures lift a decades-old ban on selling West Bank land to Israeli Jews and revives a state committee for land purchases described as guaranteeing "land reserves for settlement for generations to come," according to reports.

Israeli authorities would also gain the power to demolish Palestinian structures in areas that have historically been under Palestinian governance.  

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who championed the measures, said they would "fundamentally change the legal and civil reality" in the West Bank. His office said Israel would "continue to bury the idea of a Palestinian state."