Türk warned that the decisions risk making the creation of a viable Palestinian State impossible.
In a statement on Wednesday, the High Commissioner said the measures represent another step towards undermining the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. He cautioned that if implemented, they would accelerate the dispossession of Palestinians, increase the likelihood of forcible transfer and lead to the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.
He added that further settlement activity would deprive Palestinians of natural resources and restrict the enjoyment of a range of human rights.
The measures in question were approved by Israel’s security cabinet on February 8. They would increase Israeli civilian authority in Areas A and B of the West Bank, which together make up about 40% of the territory.
Under the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, these areas fall in part under the administrative responsibility of the Palestinian Authority. The new provisions would pave the way for Israeli officials and private individuals to acquire land in Areas A and B. According to the High Commissioner, this would violate the law of occupation and deepen the integration of the occupied territory into Israel, effectively consolidating unlawful annexation.
The decisions also remove planning and building powers from the Palestinian Authority in parts of Hebron, including the Ibrahimi Mosque. The site, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, holds deep religious significance for Muslims, Jews and Christians. The Israeli government would also assume administrative control over another holy site, Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem, which the UN says would accelerate settlement expansion.
The High Commissioner said these actions violate not only Palestinian land rights but also their cultural rights relating to heritage sites of profound communal importance.
He called on Israel to reverse the measures and urged the international community to uphold international law and the protection of cultural and territorial rights in the occupied Palestinian territory.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
