The United Nations human rights chief issued a stern condemnation on Wednesday regarding Israel’s recent expansion of civilian control in the occupied West Bank, characterizing the move as effectively constituting unlawful annexation. Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned that these measures represent the latest in a series of Israeli actions that systematically undermine the possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state.
The sweeping policy changes, announced on Sunday, significantly extend Israel’s civil administration over Areas A and B of the West Bank—regions containing all major Palestinian population centers that constitute approximately 40 percent of the occupied territory. These areas had previously been under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction since the 1993 Oslo Accords.
Türk emphasized that the implementation of these measures would accelerate the dispossession of Palestinian communities, facilitate forced transfers, and lead to increased establishment of illegal Israeli settlements. The new regulations also simplify the process for Jewish Israelis to acquire private land in the West Bank, potentially dramatically accelerating settlement expansion.
Additionally, the policy shifts transfer administrative authority over significant cultural and religious sites from Palestinian to Israeli control, including the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem—a move Türk characterized as violating Palestinians’ cultural rights.
The High Commissioner contextualized these developments within a broader pattern of escalating Israeli violence, forced displacement, home demolitions, movement restrictions, and systematic land appropriation. He noted that rhetoric and actions promoting Palestinian subjugation receive support from senior Israeli officials, directly violating Israel’s obligations as an occupying power under international law.
Türk concluded with an urgent call for reversal: “These decisions must be overturned. The settlements must be evacuated. The occupation must end. Now.”