Israel West Bank Annexation Condemned by 80+ UN Member

More than 80 United Nations member states have issued a joint condemnation of Israel’s move to expand control over the occupied West Bank and designate large areas of Palestinian land as Israeli “state property.” Speaking at the UN, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said the coalition strongly rejects what it described as unilateral actions that deepen Israel’s unlawful presence in the territory. The statement emphasised opposition to any form of annexation and warned against steps that alter the demographic and legal status of Palestinian land occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
Countries and organisations endorsing the statement include European Union, the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and states such as Australia, Canada, China, France, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.

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Legal Warnings and UN Concerns

The joint declaration came after Israel announced it would begin land registration in Area C of the West Bank for the first time since 1967. Area C accounts for roughly 60 percent of the territory, according to Peace Now. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that the move could dispossess Palestinians and further entrench Israeli control, calling it potentially destabilising and unlawful. He referenced a 2024 ruling by the International Court of Justice, which determined that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is illegal and must come to an end, and that Israeli settlements violate international law.

Ongoing Impact on the Ground

The ICJ has estimated that about 465,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank across roughly 300 settlements and outposts, all considered illegal under international law. Meanwhile, violence and danger persist for Palestinian civilians. On Tuesday, a 13-year-old Palestinian child was killed and two others seriously injured in the central Jordan Valley after coming into contact with ammunition reportedly left behind by the Israeli military, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.