UN expert warns of multilateral system's 'collapse' over Israel's possible annexation of West Bank

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - A UN expert on Palestine warned on Wednesday that Israel's declared intention to permanently annex the West Bank is an "egregious" breach of international law that risks triggering the "collapse of the multilateral system."

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, sounded the alarm in a post on X following remarks of former Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said the government has officially recognized 28 new settlements in the occupied territories—the most substantial expansion since 1967.

"The Israeli government's formally announced intention to permanently annex the entire occupied West Bank is such a serious and egregious violation of int'l law, that if not halted, the collapse of the multilateral system built on universal principles (such as sovereignty, self-determination, primacy of int'l law) will be unavoidable," Albanese wrote.

Smotrich’s comments came after a tour of West Bank settlements alongside Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior military officials.

In a lengthy post, he described the developments as a “revolution” in Israel’s settlement policy.

“Since 1967 until today, no such revolution has taken place in Judea and Samaria (West Bank),” he wrote. “The Israeli government is working to develop settlements and will not allow the rampant illegal Arab construction that has become a scourge of the state in recent decades.”

He claimed that the past year saw a record number of Palestinian structures demolished and called for “additional strategic tools” to further advance settlement expansion.

Smotrich also insisted that Israeli settlers in the West Bank “are not second-class citizens” and must receive the same level of security as others in Israel.

Despite stepping down from his post on Monday amid tensions with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli media described Smotrich’s resignation as procedural and likely temporary.

“Judea and Samaria are the cradle of our homeland, the land of the Bible, and we are here to stay,” he added, reaffirming the government’s long-term ambitions in the occupied territory.

The statements come amid intensified Israeli military operations in the West Bank, especially in Jenin and Tulkarem, where forces have been conducting raids since Jan. 21.

Tensions have soared across the West Bank since Israel’s offensive on Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 940 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 injured in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers since then.

In a legal opinion issued last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.