The situation in the occupied West Bank is “terrible,” Max Rodenbeck, Israel/Palestine project director at the International Crisis Group, has told UN member states during a meeting focused on conditions facing Palestinians in the territory.
"Let me just start with one word: terrible," Rodenbeck said during the Arria-formula meeting at the UN headquarters on Friday. "The state of the West Bank is terrible."
He said Israeli settlement expansion, land seizures and economic restrictions had intensified under the current Israeli government, with 102 new settlements launched in the past four years — nearly as many as in the previous 50 years combined.
Rodenbeck also accused Israeli authorities, including Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, of waging an “economic war” against Palestinians in the West Bank, saying policies had not eased despite the Gaza ceasefire.
“The West Bank is not Gaza. It is not at war with Israel. It’s quite peaceful,” he said. “So you might have thought that maybe with the ceasefire in Gaza, some of these Israeli measures, settlement, expansion, annexation, economic warfare, might have been eased, but not a single one of these policies has been eased in the West Bank, it is crushing.”
‘US opposes Israeli annexation of West Bank’
Ambassador Jeff Bartos, the US representative for UN Management and Reform, also said Washington continues to work closely with regional and international partners to advance security and prosperity in the Middle East.
“The United States remains committed to working in close partnership with Israel and key Arab nations and the international community to bring peace, prosperity, security and dignity to the region,” Bartos told diplomats and Security Council members.
“As President (Donald) Trump has made clear, the United States opposes Israeli annexation of the West Bank,” he said. “Stability in the West Bank is vital for Israel’s security and aligns with our goal of achieving peace in the region.”
He added that US officials remain engaged in ongoing discussions with international partners aimed at improving security conditions in the territory. The US diplomat also condemned violence targeting civilians, regardless of the perpetrators
Bartos said the US continues to support efforts toward a future in which Palestinians and Israelis can coexist peacefully.
Surge in Israeli military operations
The meeting was organised by the Permanent Missions of Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia and the UK to provide Security Council members an opportunity to hear testimony on the challenges affecting Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has seen a surge in Israeli attacks, including raids, arrests, shootings and excessive use of force, alongside rising attacks by the occupiers on Palestinians and their property.
Attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians, wounded about 11,750 and led to the arrest of nearly 22,000 since October 2023, according to official Palestinian figures.
