Jerusalem: The recent decisions by the Israeli security cabinet to expand land expropriation in the occupied West Bank are the latest in a series of measures to annex Palestinian lands in breach of the right to self-determination, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Trk said on Wednesday.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the High Commissioner stated, "This is yet another step by the Israeli authorities towards rendering a viable Palestinian state impossible, in violation of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination." He expressed concern that if these decisions are implemented, they will accelerate the dispossession of Palestinians and their forcible transfer, leading to the creation of more illegal Israeli settlements. This would further deprive Palestinians of their natural resources and restrict their enjoyment of other human rights.
Trk emphasized that these measures would change the law to allow Israeli authorities and individuals to acquire land in these areas, in violation of the law of occupation. He warned that this would cement Israel's control and integration of the occupied West Bank into Israel, consolidating unlawful annexation. He highlighted that these decisions strip the Palestinian Authority of its planning and building powers in parts of Hebron, including the Ibrahimi Mosque, and establish Israeli administrative control over Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque/Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem to advance settlement expansion.
The High Commissioner pointed out that these measures violate the land rights of Palestinians and their cultural rights in respect of sites of particular significance. He noted that this comes amid increasing attacks by Israeli colonists and occupation forces against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including forcible transfers, evictions, home demolitions, land grabs, and movement restrictions, as documented by UN Human Rights.
Trk remarked, "We are witnessing rapid steps to change permanently the demography of the occupied Palestinian territory, stripping its people of their lands and forcing them to leave." He criticized rhetoric and actions by senior Israeli officials, which he said violate Israel's obligation as an occupying power to preserve the existing legal order and social fabric, calling for these decisions to be overturned.
In conclusion, he stressed that Israel's colonies in the occupied West Bank must be evacuated, and the occupation must end immediately.
