UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary Deka confirmed before the Security Council that Israeli measures in the West Bank amount to “de facto gradual annexation,” and stressed that unilateral steps undermine the Oslo Accords and change the reality on the ground.

Published on: 02/19/2026 - 02:13 Last updated: 02/19/2026 - 07:37

A high-level UN official warned on Wednesday that Israeli steps to tighten control over areas in the occupied West Bank that are supposed to be administratively subject to the Palestinian Authority amount to “de facto gradual annexation.”

During a meeting of the UN Security Council on the Palestinian issue, UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said, “We are witnessing a gradual de facto annexation of the West Bank, as unilateral Israeli steps are steadily changing the situation on the ground.”

Since last week, Israel has approved a series of measures, with the support of far-right ministers, to consolidate its control over the West Bank, where the Palestinians enjoy limited self-rule under the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Read also: Armed settlers demolish 15 homes in the West Bank, displacing Palestinian families

DiCarlo considered that "the implementation of these measures means a dangerous expansion of Israeli civil authority in the occupied West Bank, including sensitive areas such as Hebron," warning that these steps may lead to the expansion of settlements by removing bureaucratic obstacles and facilitating the purchase of land and granting building permits to Israelis.

According to the Oslo Accords, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B, and C under Palestinian, mixed, and Israeli rule, respectively, and was supposed to constitute the largest part of a future Palestinian state, while the religious and extremist Israeli right sees it as part of the “Land of Israel.”

France 24/AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.