The United Nations has strongly condemned new Israeli law aimed at forcibly removing Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, calling it a clear violation of international law. According to a statement by the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory (OHCHR), Israeli authorities have accelerated efforts to displace residents from long-established Palestinian communities — especially in Masafer Yatta and East Jerusalem.
The displacement is being executed through an Israeli Civil Administration directive that blocks all Palestinian applications for building and planning permits in the area. Israeli officials claim the land is required for military training, but the OHCHR argues this justification is being used to push Palestinians out under legal cover.
“These measures are not just discriminatory. They are deliberate steps to forcibly transfer people from their homes — a war crime under international law,” the OHCHR stated.
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Demolitions, Arrests, and Movement Bans Intensify
Over recent months, Israel has dramatically increased home demolitions in Masafer Yatta, South Hebron Hills, and nearby regions. The UN says this is part of a broader campaign of harassment aimed at making life unlivable for Palestinians. Arbitrary arrests, mistreatment of civilians, and a sharp rise in movement restrictions have accompanied the demolitions.
“Palestinian residents, including human rights defenders, have been arbitrarily detained, beaten, and denied basic freedoms. Roads have been closed. Access to water and electricity has been disrupted — all part of an apparent effort to make them leave voluntarily,” the UN reported.
In addition to state-led repression, Palestinian residents also face near-daily violence from Israeli settlers. The OHCHR notes that settlers from nearby illegal outposts — who face no threat of eviction — have conducted routine attacks and harassment campaigns targeting Palestinian families, including elderly people, women, and children.
These attacks often go unchecked by Israeli authorities, who rarely prosecute settler violence. Instead, many Palestinian victims of settler aggression are themselves arrested when they try to defend their homes.
UN: Forcible Transfer Is a Crime Against Humanity
The OHCHR estimates that at least 1,200 Palestinians are at immediate risk of forcible transfer due to these policies. Under international law, the forcible displacement of civilians in occupied territory is classified as a war crime. If carried out systematically, it may also constitute a crime against humanity.
“This is not a question of security. It is a clear case of ethnic displacement under the guise of legal and military procedures,” said a UN human rights official. “Israel’s actions in Masafer Yatta are not isolated. They represent a wider pattern of annexation, control, and apartheid-like policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
The UN has called on the international community to take urgent action to halt the demolitions, protect Palestinian civilians, and hold Israeli officials accountable for violations of humanitarian law. Without intervention, rights groups warn that the humanitarian situation in the West Bank could deteriorate even further — and the forced removal of Palestinians could escalate into yet another devastating chapter in the ongoing conflict.
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