The United Nations has warned that recent Israeli decisions expanding control over the occupied West Bank represent a serious breach of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and risk entrenching an unlawful annexation. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the measures form part of a sustained policy that makes the establishment of a viable Palestinian state increasingly unattainable.

According to the UN, the latest steps would extend Israeli civil authority into areas of the West Bank that, under existing arrangements, fall partially under Palestinian administrative responsibility. The measures would also allow Israeli authorities and private actors to acquire land in these areas, further consolidating Israeli control. The High Commissioner described this as a decisive escalation, warning that it deepens integration of the occupied territory into Israel’s administrative and legal system.

The UN cautioned that if implemented, these policies would accelerate the dispossession of Palestinians and increase the risk of forced transfer, while paving the way for new settlements. Such actions would also deprive Palestinians of access to natural resources and further restrict fundamental rights. Particular concern was raised over the removal of Palestinian planning and construction powers in sensitive areas of al-Khalil, including sites of major religious significance, alongside the imposition of Israeli administrative control over locations in Bethlehem.

The High Commissioner called for an immediate reversal of these decisions, the evacuation of settlements and an end to the occupation, stressing that continued expansion of control in the West Bank entrenches an illegal reality and directly violates international law.