UN Commission Accuses Israel of Apartheid in West Bank

UN Report Denounces Systemic Discrimination Against Palestinians

The UN Office for Human Rights has released a report detailing what it describes as "systemic discrimination" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. According to the report, the situation has "drastically deteriorated" over the past three years. Israeli laws, policies, and practices have a "suffocating impact" on every aspect of daily life for Palestinians, violating an international convention against racial discrimination. "This is a severe form of racial discrimination and segregation that resembles the apartheid system we have seen before," warned High Commissioner Volker Türk.

Israel has rejected the accusations, labeling them as "absurd and distorted." The Israeli mission in Geneva stated that the UN Office "completely ignores the fundamental facts" underlying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It also accused the office of abusing its position and having an "inherent political fixation" aimed at discrediting Israel.

Since occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 war, Israel has built approximately 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews. About 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them. The settlements are deemed illegal under international law. The report further indicates that Israeli laws and policies treat Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank under two distinct bodies of law, leading to unequal treatment in critical matters.

"Palestinians continue to face widespread land confiscation and lack of access to resources, causing harm to their properties." Additionally, the report highlights that this system of discrimination has been a "long-standing issue" acknowledged by the UN but has "drastically worsened" since late 2022, particularly following Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.