Israel Steps to Consolidate West Bank Annexation, Warns UN

DID Press: UNHCR warned that recent decisions by Israel’s security cabinet to expand control over the West Bank risk facilitating the expansion of illegal settlements and consolidating what it described as the “unlawful annexation” of Palestinian territory.

On Sunday, Israel’s security cabinet approved measures allowing Jewish settlers to directly purchase land in the West Bank and increasing Israeli control over areas administered by the Palestinian Authority. The plans also grant Israel authority to manage certain religious sites located in Palestinian-controlled areas, altering arrangements established under the 1990s Oslo Accords.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the new measures form part of a broader trajectory leading toward the annexation of Palestinian lands.

“These actions would render the establishment of an independent Palestinian state impossible and violate the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination,” Türk said.

He warned that implementation of the decisions would result in further appropriation of Palestinian land, forced displacement, and the expansion of settlements considered illegal under international law.

Türk added that the measures would further restrict Palestinians’ access to natural resources, undermine their fundamental rights, and entrench Israel’s control over the West Bank.