UN rights chief deems forced transfer and annexation in Palestinian territories "unlawful"
The UN rights chief on Wednesday rejected as “unlawful” proposals for the annexation of or forced transfer from Palestinian territories, warning that such actions posed a threat to the entire region and could exacerbate existing conflicts.
“We must resist any normalization of unlawful conduct, including proposals for annexation or forced transfer,” Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council, News.Az reports citing The Times of Israel.
Such proposals “could threaten the peace and security of Palestinians and Israelis, and of the wider region,” he warned, insisting that “this is the moment for voices of reason to prevail.”
Turk did not give details, but there have been rising levels of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and calls for annexation after Israel announced expanded military operations there.
US President Donald Trump has proposed a mass population transfer for Gazans.
He has floated the idea of a US takeover of Gaza, under which its Palestinian population would be relocated. His proposal has infuriated the Arab world, which has promised an alternative plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its residents.
Trump later appeared to soften his plan, saying he was only recommending the idea, and that the leaders of Jordan and Egypt had rejected any effort to move Palestinians to their countries against their will.
The US president’s official social media accounts on Wednesday posted an apparently AI-generated video depicting Gaza rebuilt into a seaside resort, replete with a towering golden statue of Trump himself.
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