Picture courtesy of Times of Israel | Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90

The United Nations human rights office has released a report condemning Israel's treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, stating that it "resembles apartheid". UN High Commissioner Volker Türk highlights the "drastic deterioration" in the past three years, pointing to "systemic discrimination" affecting daily Palestinian life.

The report criticises Israeli policies as violating the International Convention against racial discrimination, causing "asphyxiating impact" on Palestinians. It compares these actions to apartheid, a term traditionally used for South Africa’s racial segregation. Israel, however, has rebuffed these claims as "absurd," focusing on its security threats, particularly the recent events of 7 October 2023.

Israel has founded approximately 160 settlements housing 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967, which is deemed illegal under international law. Palestinians envision these areas, along with Gaza, as a future state. The report asserts that separate laws govern Israeli settlers and Palestinians, leading to inequality and dispossession.

UN Chief Türk accuses Israel of pursuing a policy intended to maintain segregation and domination over Palestinians, breaching its international obligations. Israel's settlement expansions have reportedly intensified, threatening the potential for a Palestinian state. Israeli ministers recently approved 19 new settlements, focusing on hindering Palestinian statehood.

Israel's response to the UN's findings argues that the report neglects key facts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, accusing it of political bias and undue vilification. The human rights chief warns that if current trends persist, Palestinians will face worsening consequences as the region continues to experience escalating tensions, reported the BBC.

Key Takeaways:

• The UN accuses Israel of apartheid-like systemic discrimination in the West Bank.

• Israel dismisses the accusations, citing security threats and bias.

• Settlement expansions continue, counteracting efforts for a Palestinian state.

Related story:

West Bank: Unprecedented Settler Attacks Fuel Hostilities

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2026-01-08

 

 

Sounds like the real reason for the war on Gaza, doesn't it? A few dead & injured soldiers, 100k Palestians are a small price to pay for expanding Israel's territory. Shameless! Somebody needs to kidnap Netanyahu and bring him to justice in the Hague.

10 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Sounds like the real reason for the war on Gaza, doesn't it? A few dead & injured soldiers, 100k Palestians are a small price to pay for expanding Israel's territory. Shameless! Somebody needs to kidnap Netanyahu and bring him to justice in the Hague.

Palestine invaded Israel which started the current war

Cute use of the term resembles. They know that they cannot show apartheid exists, so the best they can say is "resembles". Any chance the UN will help end the apartheid resemblance by helping the PLA recover the $5 million of funds reportedly stolen by the former transport minister? Did apartheid cause this? Palestinian transport minister Tareq Zu'rob has fled to Canada after he was fired under accusations of embezzlement. 😁

More like bantustan policy....

And in Iran the crowds overthrowing the regime are calling for Israel to intervene on their behalf!

Funny that.

46 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Palestine invaded Israel which started the current war

Not in the occupied West Bank they didn’t.

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Not in the occupied West Bank they didn’t.

For context, read the post that I replied to

2 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

For context, read the post that I replied to

For context read the OP

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

For context read the OP

I wasn't replying to the O.P

2 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Palestine invaded Israel which started the current war

"Palestine" did not invade Israel. Hamas is not "Palestine". The official Palestinian Authority did not invade Israel! 🙂

2 hours ago, candide said:

"Palestine" did not invade Israel. Hamas is not "Palestine". The official Palestinian Authority did not invade Israel! 🙂

The elected Government of Gaza , Palestine are Hamas .

The elected Government of Gaza/ Palestine invaded Israel

5 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Palestine invaded Israel which started the current war

"Two wrongs" aso...

11 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

"Two wrongs" aso...

Its not wrong to retaliate and fight back against a Country that invaded you

5 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

The elected Government of Gaza , Palestine are Hamas .

The elected Government of Gaza/ Palestine invaded Israel

I certainly see your point. Hamas won 44% of the vote in 2006, and al-Fatah 41%. I have not found any subsequent elections. That's a long time to govern.

If we're reasonable, are all Hamas members terrorists? I don't know the answer; maybe no one does. However, 6,000 Hamas members, both soldiers and civilian militants, a significant number (though paling to the IDF's 630,000 soldiers), invaded Israel on October 7. They did not just attack the music festival, they breached the Gaza border in 119 locations, attacking 21 communities in Israel. About 1,000 Hamas fired rockets into Israel. This is incontrovertible.

But, I ask again, are all Hamas members terrorists??? I don't think Israel was wrong to mount a military attack but the sustained attack on civilians, killing 100,000 and injuring far more, was not justified. We'll never know how many of those were Hamas members, will we?

I believe the IDF exacted much more than a pound of flesh in its vengeance, fully supported by its commanders and unrestrained by the Israeli government. This kind of profligate callous brutality to other human beings and levelling their country (call it what you will, they live there) was an unjustified response.

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Not in the occupied West Bank they didn’t.

Which does not justify the vast settlements in the West Bank, intended by the Israeli govt to make life impossible for the rightful owners. The settlers are nothing better than thieves backed by armed aggressors.

1 hour ago, Nick Carter icp said:

The elected Government of Gaza , Palestine are Hamas .

The elected Government of Gaza/ Palestine invaded Israel

Grasping at straws....Hamas is not the officially and internationally recognised representative of Palestine.

5 minutes ago, candide said:

Grasping at straws....Hamas is not the officially and internationally recognised representative of Palestine.

That doesn't prove my post to be incorrect

1 hour ago, unblocktheplanet said:

I certainly see your point. Hamas won 44% of the vote in 2006, and al-Fatah 41%. I have not found any subsequent elections. That's a long time to govern.

If we're reasonable, are all Hamas members terrorists? I don't know the answer; maybe no one does. However, 6,000 Hamas members, both soldiers and civilian militants, a significant number (though paling to the IDF's 630,000 soldiers), invaded Israel on October 7. They did not just attack the music festival, they breached the Gaza border in 119 locations, attacking 21 communities in Israel. About 1,000 Hamas fired rockets into Israel. This is incontrovertible.

But, I ask again, are all Hamas members terrorists??? I don't think Israel was wrong to mount a military attack but the sustained attack on civilians, killing 100,000 and injuring far more, was not justified. We'll never know how many of those were Hamas members, will we?

I believe the IDF exacted much more than a pound of flesh in its vengeance, fully supported by its commanders and unrestrained by the Israeli government. This kind of profligate callous brutality to other human beings and levelling their country (call it what you will, they live there) was an unjustified response.

Hamas needs to be removed from power before peace can prevail .

Hamas need to be defeated .

2 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

That doesn't prove my post to be incorrect

Hamas is not the representative of Palestine, so it's Hamas who invaded Israel, not "Palestine" in general.

7 minutes ago, candide said:

Hamas is not the representative of Palestine, so it's Hamas who invaded Israel, not "Palestine" in general.

The Palestinians Gazians voted Hamas in to be their government .

28 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

The Palestinians Gazians voted Hamas in to be their government .

The Palestinian Authority (PA) never recognised Hamas’s government in Gaza. Since Hamas’s violent takeover of Gaza in June 2007, the PA under Mahmoud Abbas consistently rejected Hamas’s rule as illegitimate, insisting that the PA was the sole legitimate authority of the Palestinian people.

Internationally, Hamas was not recognised as representative of Palestine, and was even classified as a terrorist organisation by the US, EU, UK, etc...

The UN resembles a lunatic asylum run by the lunatics.

1 minute ago, candide said:

The Palestinian Authority (PA) never recognised Hamas’s government in Gaza. Since Hamas’s violent takeover of Gaza in June 2007, the PA under Mahmoud Abbas consistently rejected Hamas’s rule as illegitimate, insisting that the PA was the sole legitimate authority of the Palestinian people.

Internationally, Hamas was not recognised as representative of Palestine, and was even classified as a terrorist organisation by the US, EU, UK, etc...

Many Anti Israelis fully supported Hamas on Oct 7 th and there after .

They only began to distance themselves from Hamas when Hamas began to lose the war .

They would be supporting Hamas as leaders of Palestine, IF Hamas had won the war and wiped Israel off the map

12 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Many Anti Israelis fully supported Hamas on Oct 7 th and there after .

They only began to distance themselves from Hamas when Hamas began to lose the war .

They would be supporting Hamas as leaders of Palestine, IF Hamas had won the war and wiped Israel off the map

Still grasping at straws....

27 minutes ago, candide said:

Still grasping at straws....

Still trying to make the false claim that it wasn't Palestinians who invaded Israel and that Palestinians didn't start the war ?

40 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Still trying to make the false claim that it wasn't Palestinians who invaded Israel and that Palestinians didn't start the war ?

That's weak....

Hamas are a Palestinian terroris group. They are not "Palestine".

1 minute ago, candide said:

That's weak....

Your response was weaker .

Just now, Nick Carter icp said:

Your response was weaker .

Absolutely not. 🤣

16 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

The Palestinians Gazians voted Hamas in to be their government .

And Americans voted Trump. Point made.