UN rapporteur: What Israel is doing in the West Bank is shameful and illegal

The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, described what Israel is doing in the West Bank as shameful and illegal, but not surprising.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Albanese confirmed that Israel seeks to control what remains of Palestine, noting that it is currently implementing in the West Bank what it previously did in the Gaza Strip.

She stressed that what happened on October 7, 2023 cannot be a justification for everything Israel is doing, including its attempts to resume fighting in Gaza. She added that although Israel has not been attacked in the West Bank, its residents are facing violence very similar to what the people of the Gaza Strip have been subjected to, amid the inability of the international community and Arab countries to take any decisive steps.

Albanese criticized the Arab position on the Israeli crimes, describing it as shocking. She stressed that there are no security justifications for preventing water from reaching the Palestinian population or imposing restrictions on their religious freedom, noting that Israel prevents Palestinians under the age of 55 from praying in Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan.

She pointed out that many UN rapporteurs confirm that Israel has no right to the West Bank, Gaza or East Jerusalem, calling on Israel to withdraw its forces and dismantle its settlements, or at least abide by its legal duties as an occupying power.