The UN Security Council on Wednesday condemned Israel’s efforts to expand control in the West Bank, warning that such actions threaten prospects for a two-state solution. The rebuke came as Israel advanced a contentious land regulation process intended to deepen its control over the occupied territory, a move described by UN officials as a “de facto annexation.”
UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council the situation in the West Bank is “deteriorating rapidly,” citing widespread raids, home takeovers, mass detentions, movement restrictions, and the repeated displacement of Palestinian families, particularly in the north. “We are witnessing the gradual de facto annexation of the West Bank,” she stated.
The Israeli security cabinet recently authorized a series of administrative and enforcement measures in Areas A and B of the West Bank, areas nominally under Palestinian control. These measures, reported by multiple news outlets, would ease restrictions on Jewish settlers taking over Palestinian land. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern over the decision, reiterating that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law.
The move has drawn widespread international condemnation. A joint statement issued Tuesday by UN missions from 85 member states condemned Israel’s expanding control in the West Bank, warning it could amount to de facto annexation. India signed onto the UN statement, according to the Times of India. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other Muslim countries too condemned Israel’s land registration decision, as reported by the Times of Israel.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who chaired the UN Security Council meeting, stated the necessitate to “prevent the destabilization of the West Bank and preserve the viability of a Palestinian state.” The representative of Somalia, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, called for the international community to “stand together against any attempt to alter the demographic composition of the Palestinian territories by force or coercion.”
A special rapporteur for the UN condemned the Israeli attempts to further annex the West Bank, warning that the decision could amount to aggression under international law and further entrench an occupation already ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice.
The Secretary-General called on Israel to reverse the measures and urged all parties to preserve the path to a negotiated two-state solution, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions and international law. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that the decisions are “not moving us in the right direction,” and are driving the region “further and further away from a two-State solution.”
As of Thursday, February 19, 2026, Israel has not publicly responded to the UN Security Council’s condemnation or the Secretary-General’s call to reverse the measures. A meeting of the Israeli security cabinet to discuss further actions in the West Bank is scheduled for next week.
