PRESS RELEASE – February 9, 2026, Paris
The Association of Jurists for Respect for International Law (JURDI) notes that the measures announced by Israel on February 8 aimed at extending and consolidating its control and annexation of the West Bank, which is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory, constitute a new violation of international law and are part of the commission of the war crime of colonization.
These measures aim to expand the powers of the Israeli authorities, particularly in land matters, the granting of building permits and the administration of certain Palestinian religious sites, notably in Hebron and Bethlehem, without the agreement of the Palestinian authorities who are nevertheless competent in civil matters in the areas concerned, in areas A and B. These are a clear violation of the rules applicable to the military occupation and may constitute war crimes because they aim to facilitate the colonization of Palestinian territory.
In international law, occupation is by nature a temporary regime that confers no sovereign power on the occupying authority and precludes any lasting alteration of the status of the occupied territory. However, the measures announced by Israel aim to extend and institutionalize permanent state control over the West Bank. By strengthening land control, territorial planning, and the protection of settlements, while once again preventing the Palestinian Authority from effectively exercising its powers, these measures are part of a policy of "faits accomplis" pursued by Israel for decades, aimed at permanently transforming Palestinian territory.
These practices are contrary to the principle of the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. They contribute to the completion of the annexation of all Palestinian territory, an objective moreover acknowledged by the Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich: "We are burying the idea of a Palestinian state.".
These violations had already been clearly established by the International Court of Justice in its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024. The Court found therein the existence of a series of policies and practices of Israel in Palestine contrary to international law, including the establishment of settlements (in violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and constituting a war crime within the meaning of Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the ICC), the massive confiscation and requisition of Palestinian land, the exploitation of Palestinian natural resources, the imposition by Israel of military law on Palestinians in the West Bank, while Israeli settlers fall under the jurisdiction of civil courts, the forced displacement of the Palestinian population and the increase in acts of violence by Israeli settlers and security forces, discriminatory measures that amount to racial segregation and apartheid, etc.
The Court concluded that these policies undermine the territorial integrity of the occupied Palestinian territory and impede the exercise of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination by permanently altering the physical character, legal status, and demographic composition of the territory. It also held that the concurrent violation of the prohibition against the acquisition of territory by force and the right to self-determination renders Israel's continued presence as an occupying power in Palestine unlawful.
In light of these findings, JURDI reiterates that – as the UN General Assembly reaffirmed in a resolution of September 18, 2024 – third-party states have an obligation not to recognize as lawful any situation resulting from serious violations of international law, not to provide aid or assistance in maintaining such a situation, and to act to ensure respect for international law and the effective realization of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. JURDI also recalls that it has formulated various proposals for action to ensure that France respects its obligations, but these have not yet been taken into account. An end to Israeli settlement activity cannot be achieved without concrete action from France and its European partners.
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