A new report from the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office highlights the severe impact of Israel’s laws and practices on Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The report warns that Israel is violating international law by maintaining policies amounting to racial segregation and apartheid.
According to the report, systemic discrimination against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is a longstanding issue that has worsened sharply since December 2022. Palestinians face restrictions on nearly every aspect of daily life, from movement and access to land and water to legal protections and civil liberties.
Israeli authorities apply different legal systems for settlers and Palestinians, resulting in unequal treatment. Palestinians are frequently subjected to land confiscation, restricted access to resources, and prosecution in military courts, where due process and fair trial rights are often denied. The report concludes that this separation, segregation, and subordination appears to be intended as permanent, maintaining domination and oppression.
The report details a rise in unlawful force, arbitrary detention, and repression of civil society since October 2023. Settlement expansion, movement restrictions, and violence by settlers, often with the support or acquiescence of Israeli security forces, have worsened conditions for Palestinians.
Cases cited include the killing of 10-year-old Saddam Hussein Rajab in January 2025 and eight-month-pregnant 23-year-old Sondos Shalabi in February 2025, both unarmed. Movement restrictions, new roads reserved for settlers, and forced evictions have further disrupted Palestinian communities, limiting access to work, homes, and basic services.
The report also highlights the deprivation of natural resources, such as water, which is often redirected to Israeli settlements. This forces the Palestinian Authority to purchase water extracted from the occupied territory, compounding economic hardship.
“There is a systematic asphyxiation of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk. “Everyday life, accessing water, school, healthcare, visiting family, or working the land, is restricted by discriminatory laws and policies. This represents a severe form of racial discrimination that resembles apartheid.”
Impunity for human rights violations is widespread. Between January 2017 and September 2025, over 1 500 Palestinians were killed, yet Israeli authorities opened only 112 investigations, resulting in a single conviction. Thousands remain in administrative detention without charge or trial.
Illegal settlement expansion continues, with tens of thousands of hectares of Palestinian land seized to build settlements or outposts. Israel’s security cabinet recently approved 19 new settlements, citing a need to block the creation of a Palestinian state.
Türk urged Israel to repeal all laws and policies that discriminate against Palestinians, dismantle settlements, remove settlers, and respect the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
–ChannelAfrica–
