Eighty-Five Nations Condemn Israel's West Bank Land Registration as De Facto Annexation

The marble corridors of the United Nations in New York became the stage for one of the broadest diplomatic rebukes Israel has faced in months on Tuesday, when ambassadors representing 85 member states rose to condemn what they described as creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour, speaking on behalf of the coalition, delivered the joint statement in unsparing terms. "We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel's unlawful presence in the West Bank," Mansour said. "Such decisions are contrary to Israel's obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed" More than 80 states at UN condemn Israel’s plans to expand in occupied West Bankfrance24.com·SecondaryUN missions from 85 member states on Tuesday condemned what they described as Israel’s expanding control in the West Bank, warning it could amount to de facto annexation. In a joint statement, they said unilateral measures violated international law and urged Israel to reverse them immediately.. He added: "We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation" Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

The coalition's membership underscored the breadth of the diplomatic backlash. Signatories included China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Pakistan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, alongside institutional heavyweights including the European Union, the League of Arab States, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation . The statement made clear the coalition's view that the measures threaten the broader peace architecture: "Such measures violate international law, undermine the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region, run counter to the Comprehensive Plan, and jeopardise the prospect of reaching a peace agreement ending the conflict" Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

The immediate catalyst was a cabinet decision on Sunday to authorize land registration in Area C of the West Bank for the first time since 1967, when Israel began its occupation of Palestinian territory . The previous land registration processes had been conducted during the British Mandate and under Jordanian control from 1949 to 1967; Israel halted them a year after capturing the territory in the Six-Day War . Area C constitutes approximately 60 percent of the West Bank's total territory, according to the settlement-monitoring organization Peace Now, and about two-thirds of the land there remains unregistered Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

The land registration decision followed an even more contentious move by the security cabinet the previous week. That body approved a series of measures backed by far-right ministers to tighten control over areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, which have been in place since the 1990s Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”.. The package expanded Israeli oversight and enforcement into Areas A and B — zones where the Palestinian Authority exercises civilian or military control — and enabled private Israeli citizens to purchase land in the territory for the first time Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

Israel's far-right coalition partners have driven these measures with increasing urgency. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the pro-settlement coalition partner who serves as the primary architect of the West Bank policy overhaul, and Justice Minister Yariv Levin have both publicly championed the land registration as a historic step. Defense Minister Israel Katz joined them in backing the decision. The government's explanatory text framed the process as necessary for legal certainty, and partly as a response to a parallel land registration effort by the Palestinian Authority in Area C, which Israel says violates the terms of agreements signed between the two sides Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

The Palestinian presidency condemned the step in stark terms, saying it constitutes a declaration of annexation plans aimed at entrenching the occupation through settlement activity . Jordan's foreign ministry called on the international community to compel Israel to halt its escalation . The coalition statement reiterated the rejection of "all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem" Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

UN Secretary-General António Guterres weighed in on Monday, calling on Israel to reverse the land registration policy. He described it as "destabilising" and "unlawful," warning that the process could lead to the "dispossession of Palestinians of their property and risks expanding Israeli control over land in the area" . Guterres cited the landmark 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which found that Israel's "abuse of its status as the occupying power" renders its "presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful" More than 80 states at UN condemn Israel’s plans to expand in occupied West Bankfrance24.com·SecondaryUN missions from 85 member states on Tuesday condemned what they described as Israel’s expanding control in the West Bank, warning it could amount to de facto annexation. In a joint statement, they said unilateral measures violated international law and urged Israel to reverse them immediately.. The ICJ ruling stated that "Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law" More than 80 states at UN condemn Israel’s plans to expand in occupied West Bankfrance24.com·SecondaryUN missions from 85 member states on Tuesday condemned what they described as Israel’s expanding control in the West Bank, warning it could amount to de facto annexation. In a joint statement, they said unilateral measures violated international law and urged Israel to reverse them immediately..

The reference to the Comprehensive Plan added another layer of diplomatic pressure. The November agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza includes a halt to Israel's settlement activity in the occupied West Bank . By pressing ahead with land registration and expanded administrative control, Israel's government has opened itself to charges of undermining the very agreement it signed — a point the 85-nation coalition made explicitly Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

The United States has found itself in an awkward position. The White House reiterated last week that President Donald Trump opposes Israeli annexation of the West Bank and stressed the importance of maintaining stability. Yet organizations opposed to Israeli control of the territory have argued that Washington's verbal opposition has done nothing to slow the pace of Israeli measures on the ground. The administration has imposed no material costs for actions that critics describe as de facto annexation by another name Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

Analysts believe the far-right coalition partners are racing to establish irreversible facts on the ground before potential Knesset elections in October, and amid uncertainty over whether Trump might eventually shift his position. The gap between American rhetoric and Israeli action is widening, and the 85-nation coalition's statement was, in part, an effort to bridge it — or at least to put it on the record More than 80 states at UN condemn Israel’s plans to expand in occupied West Bankfrance24.com·SecondaryUN missions from 85 member states on Tuesday condemned what they described as Israel’s expanding control in the West Bank, warning it could amount to de facto annexation. In a joint statement, they said unilateral measures violated international law and urged Israel to reverse them immediately..

The legal architecture of the occupation adds context to the stakes. Under the Oslo Accords, Area C was placed under Israeli security and administrative control, but the agreements stipulated that the territory should be gradually transferred to Palestinian jurisdiction — a transfer that never occurred . Excluding Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis now live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”.. Around three million Palestinians live in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967 Over 80 UN member states condemn Israel’s de-facto annexation of West Bankaljazeera.com·SecondaryNew Israeli cabinet plans deepen existing Palestinian displacement, dispossession in West Bank More than 80 United Nations member states have condemned Israel’s plan to expand control over the occupied West Bank and claim large tracts of Palestinian territory as Israeli “state property”..

For supporters of Israeli sovereignty, the measures represent a long-overdue assertion of historical and legal claims. For the 85 nations that signed Tuesday's statement, they represent something closer to the opposite: a systematic effort to foreclose the possibility of a Palestinian state. The practical timeline may blunt some of the immediate alarm — the government's own documents acknowledged that the registration process could take up to thirty years to complete — but the political signal was unmistakable. Whether diplomatic statements translate into material consequences remains the central question. With Washington unwilling to move beyond verbal objections, the Netanyahu government has shown little inclination to change course.