UN Secretary-General Criticizes Israel's West Bank Land Classification

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the Israeli government's decision to classify certain areas of the occupied West Bank as state property.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that resuming the land registration process in Area C of the occupied West Bank threatens Palestinian property rights and could further entrench Israeli control over these lands. He emphasized that such actions, combined with the ongoing Israeli presence in the occupied Palestinian territories, are destabilizing and illegal according to the International Court of Justice.

The Israeli government has approved a proposal to register Palestinian lands in the West Bank as state property. Palestinians view this as a step toward formal annexation that undermines prospects for an independent Palestinian state, a goal supported by the United Nations.

Dujarric reiterated Guterres' position that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, lack legal validity under international law and relevant UN resolutions.