Israel Expands West Bank Control

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has urged Israel to reverse recent measures that expand its control over Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank. These measures, approved by the Israeli security cabinet, increase Israeli civilian authority in Areas A and B, which were previously under the competence of the Palestine===Palestinian Authority according to the Oslo Accords. The changes would allow Israeli authorities and individuals to acquire land in these areas, violating the law of occupation and potentially accelerating the dispossession and forcible transfer of Palestinians. Additionally, Israel would strip the Palestine===Palestinian Authority of planning and building powers in parts of Hebron and establish administrative control over Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem. Volker Türk warned that these decisions would further cement Israel's control and integration of the occupied West Bank, consolidating unlawful annexation and depriving Palestinians of their natural resources and cultural rights.