Israel’s goal of annexing parts of the occupied West Bank is clearly “illegal,” the United Nations chief of human rights said Monday, warning that the consequences could be “disastrous.”
Just a few days before Israel intends to launch plans to annex its settlements in the West Bank and parts of the strategic Jordan Valley, Michelle Bachelet added her voice to the choir urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon the proposal.
“Annexation is illegal. Period,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement. “Any annexation. Either 30 percent of the West Bank, or 5 percent,” he said, urging Israel to “listen to its own former senior officials and generals, as well as to the multitude of voices around the world, warning him not to proceed down this dangerous path. “
International condemnation of possible Israeli annexations has increased before July 1, when Israel could take its first steps toward implementing part of a Middle East plan proposed by the United States.
But Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Benny Gantz said Monday that any annexation of West Bank territory must be on hold until the coronavirus crisis has been contained.
“Anything unrelated to the battle with the coronavirus will wait until after the virus,” he said Monday in a televised meeting with members of his Blue and White party.
His office later clarified that he was referring specifically to the annexation plan.
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post cited multiple United States sources with Knowledge of the matter saying that Israel will not follow through on its plans this week, as those plans do not been finalized
Khadeeja Bisharat, a Palestinian artist, meets her daughter Remas as a view shows the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank [File: Raneen Sawafta/Reuters]
‘Shock waves’
The proposals of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, rejected by the Palestinians, pave the way for annexing key parts of the occupied West Bank, including settlements long considered illegal by most of the international community.
Bachelet urged Israel to change course, warning that “the shock waves of annexation will last for decades and will be extremely damaging to Israel, as well as to the Palestinians.”
“The precise consequences of annexation cannot be predicted,” he said.
“But they are likely to be disastrous for the Palestinians, for Israel itself and for the region as a whole.”
The UN human rights chief warned that “any attempt to annex any part of the occupied Palestinian territory will not only seriously damage efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the region, but will likely further entrench, perpetuate and further escalate serious violations of human rights that have characterized the conflict for decades. “
His statement warned that such a move would almost certainly lead to further restrictions on Palestinians’ rights to freedom of movement, as their population centers would become enclaves.
Furthermore, significant tracts of private land would likely be illegally expropriated, and even in cases where this does not occur, many Palestinians could lose access to cultivate their own land.
And Palestinians living within the annexed areas would likely experience greater difficulties in accessing essential services such as medical care and education, while humanitarian access could also be blocked.
‘Highly combustible blend’
Bachelet’s office warned that Palestinians within the annexed area would face strong pressure to move, noting that entire communities currently unrecognized under Israeli planning would be at high risk of “forced transfer”.
And the settlements, which are already recognized as a clear violation of international law, would surely expand.
“This is a highly combustible mixture,” said Bachelet.
“I am deeply concerned that even the most minimalist form of annexation would lead to further violence and loss of life, as walls are erected, security forces are deployed, and the two populations get closer.”
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UN envoy says Israel must ‘abandon threats of annexation’ |
The UN human rights chief warned that “the existing two-tier legal system in the same territory will be integrated, with devastating impacts on the lives of Palestinians who have little or no access to legal remedies.”
Bachelet said that illegal annexation would not change Israel’s obligations under international law as an occupying power towards the occupied population.
Instead, it will seriously undermine the prospect of a two-state solution, undermine the prospects for a renewal of negotiations, and perpetuate the existing serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that we witness today.
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