The United Nations Human Rights Office reported that Israel is accelerating actions to entrench its illegal annexation of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These actions include seizing Palestinian land and replacing Palestinian communities with illegal colonialist settlers, violating international law.
The office stressed that this is inconsistent with the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in July, which concluded that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal and must end promptly.
The court called for the immediate evacuation of all Israeli colonies in the West Bank.
The office voiced concern over recent developments, noting mass demolitions of Palestinian homes and buildings in East Jerusalem, and, for the first time, demolitions carried out in a nature reserve in Area B, which is under Palestinian Authority control.
According to the UN office, Israeli occupation forces conducted mass demolitions of Palestinian properties in East Jerusalem and the Hebron Governorate on Monday, citing the lack of Israeli construction permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain due to discriminatory planning and zoning laws aimed at suppressing Palestinian construction.
The United Nations Human Rights Office emphasized the necessity for Israel to immediately reverse this trend and adhere to its obligations under international law, as specified by the International Court of Justice.
The office also highlighted the critical role of third-party states in halting Israel’s illegal actions, urging them not to recognize the legality of the situation resulting from Israel’s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territories and to refrain from assisting Israel in maintaining this status.
It added that this requires states to carefully examine their interactions with Israel, including trade and economic relations and support for the Israeli military.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power [Israel] shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies [Palestine].” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
