New York, Feb 11 (Petra) - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the recent decisions taken by Israel’s Security Cabinet to expand land confiscation operations in the occupied West Bank represent the latest step in a series of measures aimed at annexing Palestinian land, in a blatant violation of the right to self-determination.

In a statement on Wednesday, Turk said, "This is another step by the Israeli authorities toward making the establishment of a viable Palestinian state impossible, in violation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination," adding, "If implemented, these decisions will undoubtedly accelerate the dispossession and forced displacement of Palestinians and will lead to the establishment of more illegal Israeli settlements, in addition to depriving Palestinians of their natural resources and restricting their enjoyment of other human rights." The Israeli Security Cabinet had approved a package of measures expanding the powers of Israel’s Civil Administration in Areas A and B of the West Bank. Under the Oslo Accords, some of these powers fall within the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

Turk said, "These measures will lead to changes in laws, in violation of the law of occupation, in a manner that allows Israeli authorities and individuals to acquire land in these areas," stressing that this "will further entrench Israeli control and integrate the occupied West Bank into Israel, reinforcing illegal annexation." He said the Israeli decisions have also stripped the Palestinian Authority of planning and construction powers in parts of Hebron, including the Ibrahimi Mosque/Cave of the Patriarchs, and imposed Israeli administrative control over Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem to accelerate settlement expansion.

He stressed that "this not only violates Palestinians’ rights to their land but also their cultural rights in relation to sites of particular importance," noting that these measures come within a broader context of increasing attacks by settlers and Israeli security forces against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as well as forced displacement, evictions, home demolitions, land seizures, movement restrictions, and other violations documented by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The UN rights chief said, "We are witnessing accelerated steps to permanently change the demographic composition of the occupied Palestinian territory by dispossessing its residents of their land and forcing them to leave," noting that "this is supported by rhetoric and practices by senior Israeli officials and constitutes a violation of Israel’s obligations as an occupying power to maintain the existing legal order and social fabric." He said these decisions must be revoked and called for "the evacuation of settlements and an end to the occupation now." //Petra// AF