(ICSPR) condemned Israel’s annexation crimes, the transformation of West Bank lands into so-called “state land,” and the continuation of genocide in the Gaza Strip

Date: 16 February 2026

Press Statement & Appeal

The International Commission to Support Palestinian People’s Rights – ICSPR strongly condemns the decision of the Israeli occupation authorities to resume procedures for registering lands in the occupied West Bank as so-called “State Property.” This represents a dangerous and unprecedented development since 1967, constituting a systematic colonial step aimed at reengineering the legal and demographic reality of the occupied Palestinian territory and entrenching de facto annexation under a false and illegitimate administrative cover. This move further confirms the implementation of a comprehensive liquidation plan designed to legalize colonial settlement expansion, sever the geographic continuity between Palestinian cities and towns, and undermine any practical possibility of establishing an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state on its land.

ICSPR affirms that converting more than 60% of the West Bank into so-called “State Property” is nothing but a discriminatory legal mechanism to redistribute occupied land in favor of the colonial settlement enterprise and impose sovereignty by force, in blatant violation of the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force. This criminal policy directly challenges international legitimacy resolutions, foremost among them United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, and contradicts the advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice and established principles of international law regarding the illegality of occupation and the obligation to end it. It constitutes a continuation of creeping, gradual annexation policies aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause by imposing irreversible facts on the ground.

ICSPR further notes that this escalation in the West Bank dangerously coincides with the continuation of genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on various areas of Gaza yesterday, resulting in the killing of 12 civilians and the injury of 20 others, in flagrant violation of the ceasefire. The number of violations has exceeded 170 breaches, leading to the killing of 601 martyrs and the injury of 1,670 others. Since the beginning of the genocidal war, the total number of martyrs has surpassed 72,000, in addition to 172 injured, and thousands of victims who remain under the rubble. These crimes are compounded by the obstruction and prevention of humanitarian aid, fuel, medicines, and medical supplies, amid the near-total collapse of the health and service systems and the continued destruction of vital infrastructure in the so-called “buffer zones,” which constitute more than 60% of the Gaza Strip’s area.

ICSPR warns that the occupation continues its policy of collective punishment by obstructing the entry of fuel and humanitarian assistance, restricting the entry of medicines and medical supplies, and preventing the entry of temporary housing units to shelter hundreds of thousands of displaced persons living in catastrophic conditions. Moreover, the number of travelers through the Rafah crossing has been reduced to fewer than 50 per day in both directions, constituting a grave violation of the occupying power’s obligations under international humanitarian law and entrenching the policy of siege and starvation as a tool of war.

ICSPR stresses that the combination of annexation policies in the West Bank and genocide, starvation, and siege in Gaza reveals an integrated strategy aimed at forcibly reshaping the Palestinian reality—through land seizure in the West Bank and the destruction of the foundations of life in Gaza—threatening the very political, demographic, and geographic existence of the Palestinian people. This necessitates urgent international action to activate accountability mechanisms before competent international courts and to put an end to the policy of impunity that has encouraged the occupation to persist in its violations.

ICSPR calls upon the international community, and the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions, to assume their legal and moral responsibilities and to take immediate and concrete measures to halt land registration and colonial annexation procedures, stop the aggression and genocide in Gaza, ensure the unrestricted entry of humanitarian, medical, and fuel supplies, and provide international protection for the Palestinian people within the framework of ending the occupation and dismantling the system of colonial apartheid.

ICSPR affirms that international silence and inaction can no longer be considered neutrality; rather, they amount to grave dereliction that borders on complicity, threatening the credibility of the international legal system and undermining the foundations of regional and international peace and security.

ICSPR reiterates that the rights of the Palestinian people to their land, resources, and self-determination are inalienable. It emphasizes that colonial land registration measures will not grant the occupation any legitimacy, and that the crimes of genocide, annexation, and settlement expansion require the restoration of national unity and the adoption of a comprehensive national, legal, and diplomatic strategy, along with decisive international action to internationalize the conflict and restore respect for international justice. This includes activating the global solidarity movement with Palestine, upholding the legitimacy of boycott and sanctions against the occupying power, holding its leaders and soldiers accountable before international courts, and forming an Arab and international protective front—including a global humanitarian coalition—to put an end to colonial annexation and genocide and pave the way for ending the occupation and realizing a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state.