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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights denounced the illegality of the Israeli plan to annex the West Bank on Monday, warning that her “shock waves will last for decades”.
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“Annexation is illegal. Full stop, ”said Michelle Bachelet in a written statement. “Any annexation. Whether it’s 30% of the West Bank or 5%. ”
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“I urge Israel to listen to its own former senior officials and generals, as well as the many voices around the world, warning it not to continue on this dangerous path,” she added.
Noting that “the shock waves of the annexation will last for decades and will be extremely prejudicial to Israel, as well as to the Palestinians”, the senior UN official underlines that there is still time to reverse this decision. “
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The Hebrew state has set July 1 as the date by which to decide on the implementation of the United States plan for the Middle East. The plan calls for the creation of a Palestinian state in a small and fragmented territory and the annexation by Israel of settlements and the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.
“Stronger pressure on Palestinians”
“The precise consequences of the annexation cannot be predicted, but they may be disastrous for the Palestinians, for Israel and for the region as a whole,” said Ms. Bachelet, stressing that the UN secretary-general had called on the Israeli government to abandon its plans.
The annexation “will seriously harm the prospect of a two-state solution, reduce the possibility of resumption of negotiations, and perpetuate the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that we are witnessing today,” he said. she continued.
The text underlines that if there is annexation, “the colonies – already an obvious violation of international law – will almost certainly expand, increasing the friction existing between the two communities”.
Lire aussi: Israël: « Il est temps » d’annexer des pans de la Cisjordanie (Netanyahu)
He also notes that Palestinians will be under greater pressure to exit the annexed area, and that entire communities will be at high risk of forced transfer. As for Palestinians living outside the annexed area, according to the UN, they risk being deprived of access to their natural resources.
The Office of the High Commissioner stresses that restrictions on the right to freedom of movement will increase as sharply as the “Palestinian population centers become” enclaves “.
The UN also fears that humanitarian access may be hampered and worries about Palestinians’ difficulties in accessing agricultural land and services, such as education and health.
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