The UN missions for 85 member states issued a joint statement Tuesday condemning Israel’s encroaching control of the West Bank, which critics say amounts to de facto annexation of the Palestinian territory. “We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank,” the statement reads. “Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed.”
“We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation.” Last week, Israel’s security cabinet approved a series of measures backed by far-right ministers to tighten control over areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo accords, in place since the 1990s. On Sunday, Israel’s government also approved a process to register land in the West Bank as “state property” in a move that drew further international condemnation.
