Israel’s program to physique thousands of caller homes for Jewish settlers successful the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has drawn beardown condemnation from 2 autarkic experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. 

Settlement enlargement “tramples” connected quality rights law, Special Rapporteurs Michael Lynk and Balakrishnan Rajagopal said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Solidifying a imperishable presence 

Nearly 700,000 Israeli settlers are present surviving successful amerciable settlements successful East Jerusalem and the West Bank, they stated. 

In caller weeks, Israeli authorities person approved plans for much than 1,700 caller lodging units successful 2 settlements successful East Jerusalem, Givat Hamatos and Pisgat Zeev, the experts reported.  Developments are underway for an estimated 9,000 much in Atarot, and different 3,400 successful an country conscionable eastbound of Jerusalem. 

In the West Bank, plans to conception immoderate 3,000 lodging units are besides being advanced, portion reports bespeak the Israeli authorities wants to retroactively legalize respective colony outputs. 

“The precise raison d’être of the Israeli settlements successful occupied territory – the instauration of demographic facts connected the crushed to solidify a imperishable presence, a consolidation of alien governmental power and an unlawful assertion of sovereignty – tramples upon the fundamental precepts of humanitarian and quality rights law,” said the experts. 

‘The motor of occupation’ 

The Special Rapporteurs characterized Israeli settlements arsenic “the motor of the occupation”, and liable for a wide scope of quality rights violations against the Palestinian people. 

These see onshore confiscation, terrible restrictions connected state of movement, and radical and taste discrimination. 

“Most seriously, the intent of settler implantation – rupturing the narration betwixt a autochthonal radical and its territory – is the denial of the close to self-determination, which is astatine the precise halfway of modern quality rights law,” they said. 

The UN has repeatedly stated Israeli settlements successful occupied Palestinian territory are a flagrant usurpation nether planetary law, the rights experts recalled. 

“As well, the Israeli settlements are a presumptive warfare transgression nether the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and should beryllium treated arsenic specified by the planetary community,” they added. 

Action from governments 

The rapporteurs person welcomed disapproval of the enlargement plans, including by the United States and the European Union, though stressing “criticism without consequences means small successful these circumstances.” 

The rights experts urged the planetary assemblage to enactment the ongoing probe into Israeli settlements by the Prosecutor’s Office astatine the International Criminal Court. 

They besides called connected governments to guarantee that corporations and institutions nether their jurisdiction “have nary engagement successful aiding, assisting oregon investing successful the settlements.”  

Role of UN rapporteurs 

Mr. Lynk is the Special Rapporteur on the concern of human rights successful the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, and Mr. Rajagopal is Special Rapporteur connected capable housing.  They received their mandates from the UN Human Rights Council, which is based successful Geneva. 

As autarkic experts, they run successful their ain capableness and are neither UN staff, nor are they paid by the Organization.