A new report by the UN human rights office (OHCHR) documents what it describes as a decades-long system of discrimination against Palestinians in the West Bank, which has intensified sharply since at least December 2022. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk characterized the situation as “a systematic asphyxiation of the rights of Palestinians,” noting that virtually every aspect of daily life—from accessing water, education, and healthcare to visiting family or harvesting olives—is restricted by Israeli laws, policies, and practices. He described this as a severe form of racial discrimination and segregation resembling an apartheid system.
The report details how Israeli authorities apply two separate sets of laws and policies for Israeli settlers and Palestinians, resulting in unequal treatment across critical areas, including movement and access to land and water. It concludes that the separation, segregation, and subordination of Palestinians appear intended to be permanent, maintaining systemic oppression. The report emphasizes that actions taken to enforce this policy constitute violations of Article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid.
The report notes that conditions have worsened since 7 October 2023, when Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups attacked communities in southern Israel, resulting in over 1,200 deaths and the taking of more than 250 hostages. Since then, there has been expanded use of unlawful force, arbitrary detention, torture, severe movement restrictions, repression of civil society and media, and continued settlement expansion. Settler violence has also escalated, often with the acquiescence, support, or participation of Israeli security forces. The report documents unlawful killings and other forms of state and settler violence, highlighting cases where lethal force was used intentionally against unarmed Palestinians, including the killing of 10-year-old Saddam Hussein Rajab in January 2025 and the shooting of eight-month pregnant Sondos Shalabi in February 2025.
Impunity for violence remains widespread. Between January 2017 and September 2025, over 1,500 killings of Palestinians were recorded, yet Israeli authorities opened only 112 investigations, resulting in just one conviction. Mr. Türk urged Israel to repeal laws and policies that perpetuate systemic discrimination, dismantle illegal settlements, end the occupation, and respect Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
