An-Najah News - Ramallah - The United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People has declared that during the world's attention shifting to the pandemic of COVID-19, the Palestinian people under occupation are facing an additional crisis, which is the threat of annexation.

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, the UN Committee clarified, “During the unprecedented health emergency, Israel, the occupation state, continued to consolidate the illegal occupation, and clearly declared its intention to annex the occupied Palestinian territories, while the siege of the Gaza Strip continues.”

The Committee called on the international community to mobilize support and solidarity with the Palestinian people to prevent annexation, stressing that the annexation constitutes a serious violation of international law and a flagrant violation of United Nations resolutions, including Resolution 2334 (2016), which calls for an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967, and the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people, including self-determination and independence.

The Committee furtherly emphasized that the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force is “absolute” in the Charter of the United Nations.

The UN committee continued: “Extending Israeli control over the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, undermines the internationally agreed two-state solution, and the goal of Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security along the pre-1967 borders remains with East Jerusalem the capital of the Palestinian state, unchanged, but unrealized and at great risk.”

The Committee called on Israel to respond to the Secretary-General's recent call for a global ceasefire, and also calls upon Israel to respond to the long-term demand to halt its illegal actions and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, and to stop all measures aimed at consolidating the occupation and annexing the territories.

The Committee also calls on Israel, in accordance with its obligations under international law, to ensure full respect for the human rights of the Palestinian civilian population under its control, and to provide and deliver humanitarian assistance, including preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The UN Committee said: “We at the United Nations have the tools necessary to curb violence and injustice, and we seek peace, justice and security for all, and are committed to not excluding anyone, in a way that does not differ from fighting the pandemic, and everyone must play its role, to prevent the injustice of the occupation and annexation.

The UN Committee called on the international community and the Security Council to face their responsibilities and take urgent action to address the risk of annexation.