The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has condemned Israel’s justification of its military offensive in the occupied West Bank, asserting that Tel Aviv cannot claim self-defense for its actions in the region.
Since Wednesday, the Israeli military has launched a large-scale operation in the northern West Bank cities of Tulkarm, Jenin, and Tubas—the most extensive military action in the area since 2002. The offensive has already resulted in the deaths of at least 19 Palestinians.
In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), Albanese rejected Israel’s claim that its actions are justified under the law of self-defense, stating, “This claim has no validity.” She referenced a 2004 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, which determined that Israel could not invoke self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter to justify the construction of the separation wall in occupied Palestinian territory.
Albanese pointed out that the ICJ has reaffirmed this stance, emphasizing that Israel’s very presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful. She argued that the occupation itself cannot be justified by any claim of self-defense, describing it as an ongoing unlawful use of force.
The UN official also criticized Israel’s manipulation of international law, stating that Israel’s interpretation of the law on self-defense is a “brazen attempt” to legitimize its continued aggression against the territorial integrity and political independence of Palestine.
Albanese urged Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories as a means to achieve genuine security, stating, “If Israel truly wants to achieve its claimed security, the best and most obvious way to do that would be to cease its colonization of another people’s land, withdraw from all of it, and make appropriate reparations for the damage caused.”
The situation in the occupied West Bank remains tense, with ongoing violence exacerbated by a brutal Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of over 40,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October of last year. According to Palestinian sources, the conflict has resulted in 673 deaths, nearly 5,400 injuries, and over 10,300 arrests in the occupied territory.
