Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bank | Occupied West Bank News
UN Warns Israel’s Land Registration Plan Risks Dispossession of Palestinians
More than 80 United Nations member states have denounced Israel’s recent initiative to expand control over the occupied West Bank, asserting that it would lead to the dispossession of Palestinian land.
Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour condemned the proposal, speaking on behalf of 85 member states and several international organizations. “We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank,” he stated.
Mansour emphasized that these actions contradict Israel’s obligations under international law and called for their immediate reversal. “We reiterate our rejection of all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character, and status of Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem,” he added.
He further noted that such measures not only breach international law but also undermine peace efforts and threaten the potential for a resolution to the ongoing conflict. This sentiment aligns with the Comprehensive Plan, an agreement established between Israel and Hamas in November, intended to cease illegal settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.
Signatories to the joint statement include countries such as Australia, Canada, China, France, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, as well as the European Union, the League of Arab States, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
This statement comes in light of Israel’s decision to implement land registration in Section C of the West Bank for the first time since 1967. Section C comprises approximately 60 percent of the West Bank’s area, according to the monitoring organization Peace Now.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has raised concerns that Israel’s land registration plan could lead to the dispossession of Palestinian property and extend Israeli control over the territory. He described the process as potentially destabilizing and unlawful, referencing a landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024, which stated that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is unlawful.
The ICJ ruling characterized Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian territory as an abuse of its status as the occupying power. “Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law,” the court stated. Approximately 465,000 Israeli settlers inhabit the occupied West Bank across around 300 settlements and outposts, all deemed illegal under international law.
In a separate incident reported on Tuesday, a 13-year-old Palestinian child was killed, and two other children sustained serious injuries due to ammunition left behind by the Israeli military in the central Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency. The injured children, aged 12 and 14, are currently receiving hospital treatment.
