The United Nations human rights office has released a report detailing what it describes as "systemic discrimination" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The report states that the situation has deteriorated and compares Israeli policies to an apartheid system. Israel has rejected these accusations as "absurd and distorted," citing security threats and accusing the UN office of political bias.
Report's Findings and Allegations
The report by the UN human rights office states that Israeli laws, policies, and practices restrict daily life for Palestinians and violate an international convention against racial discrimination. High Commissioner Volker Türk stated that this constitutes "a severe form of racial discrimination and segregation that resembles the kind of apartheid system." The report marks the first instance a UN human rights chief has explicitly drawn a comparison between Israeli policies in the West Bank and the historical apartheid system in South Africa.
Türk further stated that "every aspect of life for Palestinians in the West Bank is controlled and curtailed by Israel's discriminatory laws, policies and practices." According to the 42-page report, Israeli authorities apply two distinct bodies of law and policies to Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank, resulting in unequal treatment across various critical issues. Specific areas cited in the report include:
- Restrictions across daily life, including access to water, education, healthcare, and family visits.
- Large-scale confiscation of land and deprivation of access to resources, leading to the dispossession of land and homes for Palestinians.
- Criminal prosecution of Palestinians in military courts, where due process and fair trial rights are reported to be systematically violated.
The report indicates that the situation for Palestinians in these areas has deteriorated over the past three years.
Israel's Response
The Israeli mission in Geneva rejected the accusations, describing them as "absurd and distorted." The mission stated that the UN human rights office "completely ignores fundamental facts" concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, referencing "grave security threats Israel faces," including the events of October 7, 2023.
The Israeli mission also stated that the office abused its position by issuing an "unmandated report" and demonstrated an "inherently politically driven fixation... on vilifying Israel."
Context of Settlements
Since its occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem following the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has constructed approximately 160 settlements, housing an estimated 700,000 Jewish residents. Palestinians seek this land, along with Gaza, for a future state. Approximately 3.3 million Palestinians reside in these areas. Under international law, these settlements are considered illegal.
In a related development, Israel's government approved plans last month to rebuild the previously evacuated settlement of Sa-Nur.