United Nations: Occupation's procedures to register West Bank lands as 'state property' are illegal and destroy the two-state solution

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, affirmed that the recent decisions taken by the Israeli government to impose its authority over vast areas of the occupied West Bank are illegal. He clarified in press statements that these steps explicitly violate the rules of international law and relevant UN resolutions concerning Palestinian rights.

These warnings come after the occupation government, for the first time since 1967, approved a draft resolution allowing it to begin seizing vast Palestinian lands by registering them under the name 'state property'. This new legal path aims to legitimize control over the lands and facilitate settlement expansion deep into the West Bank.

For his part, Dujarric warned that these measures would provide cover for the occupation authorities to facilitate the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and dispossess them of their historical land ownership. He pointed out that such moves lead to undermining security and social stability in the West Bank, especially given the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.

In the context of Palestinian reactions, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) stressed that this decision represents a blatant attempt to steal land and impose a new settlement reality by force of arms. The movement described the step as legally null and void, as it emanates from an occupying authority that lacks any legitimacy over the occupied Palestinian territories.

The UN spokesperson indicated that the international organization would continue to raise this issue in public forums and with member states, calling on the UN Security Council and influential powers to take urgent action. He urged the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities to stop these violations that threaten peace and security in the region.

Dujarric also warned that current Israeli policies, supported by statements from ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu's government, directly aim to undermine any future opportunity for a two-state solution. He affirmed that Secretary-General António Guterres would continue to pressure world capitals to push for a serious political process that ends the occupation.

In conclusion of his statements, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General emphasized that there is no alternative to the two-state solution to ensure the achievement of a sustainable and just peace that serves the peoples of the region, stressing that losing hope in political paths is not an acceptable option. This coincided with widespread condemnation from 80 countries and international organizations of Israel's unilateral actions that entrench illegal annexation.

Israeli measures will make it easier to remove Palestinians from the West Bank and dispossess them of their land ownership, which destabilizes the situation at a time when crises are escalating.