UN report condemns escalating Israeli apartheid against Palestinians in the West Bank

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has confirmed that discrimination and segregation practiced by Israel against Palestinians in the West Bank are escalating and amount to a system of apartheid.

In a report released today, the OHCHR stated that systematic discrimination against Palestinians throughout the occupied Palestinian territory has worsened dramatically in recent years.

“We are witnessing the systematic strangulation of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in a statement accompanying the report. He asserted that this situation has led to a very serious form of discrimination and segregation, resembling apartheid regimes of the past.

Türk added that every aspect of Palestinian life in the West Bank, from access to water, education, and healthcare to visiting relatives and harvesting olives, is subject to control and restriction by discriminatory Israeli laws, policies, and practices.

The report indicated that Israeli authorities subject Israeli settlers and Palestinians residing in the West Bank to two separate systems of laws and policies, resulting in unequal treatment on several key issues. He noted that Palestinians continue to face widespread land confiscations and denial of access to resources, leading to their dispossession from their land and homes.

Turk called on Israel to repeal all laws, policies, and practices that perpetuate structural discrimination against Palestinians based on race, religion, or ethnic origin.

The report explained that this discrimination is exacerbated by escalating settler violence, often with the approval, support, and participation of Israeli security forces. It noted that since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities have intensified their use of unlawful force, arbitrary arrests, and torture.

The report condemned the unprecedented deterioration of human rights in the West Bank, pointing to the intensified repression of civil society and the imposition of excessive restrictions on media freedom. It also highlighted the rapid expansion of settlements, which are considered illegal under international law, at a time when Palestinians are being killed with near-total impunity.