Bar Association President: The Opening of the Israeli Land Settlement Office is an Advanced Step in the Annexation Project

SadaNews - The President of the Palestinian Bar Association, lawyer Fadi Abbas, stated that the consecutive measures taken by the occupation authorities concerning land settlement in the West Bank, following the enactment of what is called the Settlement Law, inherently carry colonial expansionist objectives within the context of land appropriation policies, especially in Area C which represents 63% of the West Bank's area, and the legitimization of settlement under the annexation program that legislative and executive tools affiliated with the occupation authorities have been preparing and applying for years.

The Bar Association President pointed out that the opening of the Israeli land settlement office in the West Bank is a significant procedural step within the creeping annexation project that aims to take control over vast areas of Palestinian lands in the West Bank and legitimize settlement activities and construction under unlawful pretexts such as the applications of what is called state property and the custodian of absentee property.

He added: These dangerous measures, which involve serious violations of international humanitarian law, including relevant Geneva Conventions and the ruling of the International Court of Justice regarding the nature of Israeli occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories, require a unified legal strategy and a firm international stance to confront this encroachment at the expense of the property and lands of the Palestinian people.