The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has released a comprehensive report documenting a decades-long system of discrimination in the West Bank that has escalated sharply since December 2022. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the findings as a “systematic asphyxiation” of Palestinian life, characterizing the current landscape as a form of racial segregation resembling apartheid.
#WestBank: @UNHumanRights report documents decades of severe racial discrimination by #Israel against Palestinians living in the occupied territories. Warns that Israel is violating intl law requiring States to prohibit & eradicate racial segregation & apartheid.
Report finds… pic.twitter.com/fbzxtoQ0Fu
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) January 7, 2026
A Dual Legal System
The report highlights that Israeli authorities operate under two distinct bodies of law and policy: one for Israeli settlers and another for Palestinians. This disparity results in extreme inequality regarding movement and access to vital resources, including land and water. The OHCHR concluded there are “reasonable grounds” to believe this subordination is intended to be permanent.
“Every aspect of life for Palestinians in the West Bank is controlled and curtailed,” Türk stated. “This is a particularly severe form of racial discrimination and segregation.”
Escalation Since October 7
The situation has seen a marked deterioration following the October 7, 2023, attacks. The report cites:
- Expansion of Lethal Force: Documented trends of unlawful killings, including the 2025 deaths of 10-year-old Saddam Hussein Rajab and eight-month pregnant Sondos Shalabi, both of whom were unarmed.
- Settler Violence: An escalation of violence by settlers, often with the “acquiescence, support, and participation” of security forces.
- Systemic Repression: Increased use of arbitrary detention, torture, and severe restrictions on civil society and the media.
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Widespread Impunity
A critical finding of the report is the near-total lack of accountability for violence against Palestinians. Of more than 1,500 recorded killings between January 2017 and September 2024, Israeli authorities opened only 112 investigations, resulting in a single conviction.
Call to Action
The High Commissioner called for the immediate repeal of discriminatory laws, the dismantling of illegal settlements, and an end to the occupation. He emphasized that the “acts committed with the intention to maintain such a policy” constitute a violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
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