Stop annexation - end the occupation
The campaign Stop annexation, end the occupation: pave a path for a just peace in Palestine and Israel is organized by the World Council of Churches through its Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (WCC-EAPPI) on 21 May - 11 June 2025.
The campaign is set to raise awareness regarding the realities of daily life under occupation and the related violations of international law (including forced displacement, de-facto annexation, and discrimination), and to advocate collectively for policy change, including:
–more active engagement in restarting a process for a just and sustainable resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
–implementation of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion about third-state responsibilities
The campaign also highlights local civil society initiatives for an end of the occupation and a just peace.
The campaign takes place at a time when the men, women and children of Gaza have once more been brought to the brink of famine as a result of Israeli policies against Palestinians.
Reach out to your elected officials, or to your faith leaders to call for renewed efforts for a just and sustainable resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
We pray for refugees everywhere. May God end their struggles. May God bring them home.
As churches accompany the Palestinian people and other refugees in the Middle East, may God enable us in our collective actions for the welfare of the crushed and weak. May we celebrate Christian love and unity.
As churches and Christians in Jerusalem we were here in the beginning of Christianity—and we survived all this time. Our existence is not dependent on anybody—only on the Bible that gives hope of the resurrection, of life, and of love.
–Bishop Dr Sani Ibrahim Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
These stories form a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Five hours to leave: Aisha’s forced flight from settler violence
Aisha, 70, is one of the thousands of Palestinians who have been forced to flee their homes in the West Bank due to the threat of Israeli settler violence.
When I visited Aisha in the summer of 2023, the community suffered from daily settler harassment – the settlers threw stones, intimidated them with weapons and shouted threats. The community was terrified. They didn't sleep.
The families knew that if they left, the settlers would take over their houses, gardens, and land. For that reason, there had to always be someone in the house.
The Israeli authorities were aware of the settlers' activities, and sometimes the soldiers even escorted the settlers. One time we had a chance to talk with the soldiers and they told us that their mission was to protect the settlers from the Palestinians - that is, the two elderly people, two children, and a few young women who lived in the houses.
Less than a week after 7 October 2023, settler violence escalated dramatically. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the settlers had invaded Aisha’s home. Her husband Nabil was injured in the attack and hospitalized. They hit his head on the wall while he was sitting at home eating. He has epilepsy. The settlers gave Aisha and her community five hours to leave. Aisha, Nabil, and dozens of other community members took what they could and fled their homes. When they returned a few days later to collect the rest of their belongings, they found their home vandalized.
Aisha’s story is one of thousands—a testament to the systematic displacement of Palestinian families.
By Hanna/EAPPI Finland
Caption: Aisha stands where her garden once grew. Behind her, the ruins of a neighbor’s house.
Learn more: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-17/ty-article-magazine/.pre…
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Stolen childhood: how occupation harms Palestinian children’s mental health
A 7-year-old was reported to have self-harm behaviours such as banging and hitting his head, and cuts/scratches using metal caps of bottles/cans. The child was wearing a jumper with no cord as the family members and teachers were cautious about the child's self-harm attempts. The children who come to the school from Silwan are subjected to traumatic experiences of house demolitions in their neighbourhood. The 7-year-old at Siraj Al Quds Inclusive Model School, who hails from Silwan, had been stressed and deeply impacted ever since his parents received demolition orders for their house. With severe restrictions of movement and increasing infiltration of settlers in the neighbourhoods, many children like him are harassed by the Israeli Defence Forces and settlers. Though the school has two minibuses for its students, most of the children walk to the school.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes childhood as “a special, protected time, in which children must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop, and flourish with dignity.” The right to childhood encompasses a range of rights including and not limited to the right to life and survival, right to education, right to healthcare, right to nondiscrimination, and right to a safe environment.
The negative impacts of the Israeli occupation on children’s mental health have been well documented by organizations such as Medecins Sans Frontiers and Save the Children. Medecins Sans Frontiers reported: “Even if the conflict and occupation ended tomorrow, the consequences would linger for years."
Siraj Al Quds Inclusive Model School in East Jerusalem serves children from poor and marginalized communities and those with visual and/or hearing impairment or with a learning disabilities. Children from the neighborhoods of Silwan, Issawiya, Wadi Al Joz, and Ras al Amoud access this school. The young children, already vulnerable due to poverty and disability, often face challenges in accessing education on their way to and from the school. The children at school are currently experiencing anxiety, behavioral and psychological problems, and lack of concentration. A psychologist visits the school every Monday to assess children with behavioral psychological disorders.
The community leader in the neighbourhood established Madaa creative centre in Silwan due to increasing concerns for the welfare of children playing in the streets. Around 100 children attend this centre after school and during holidays for educational and recreational activities and courses. However, there is a constant presence of Israeli Defence Forces at the entrance of this centre, and reports of settlers’ harassment against the children.
Despite trauma, centers like Madaa Creative Centre offer respite—though even there, children face military presence.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Caption: A psychologist speaks with a child.
A world without walls
Palestine is a place where family and community support networks prevail; older people are very breathed into Arab culture. There are localities in which the oldest is summoned to intervene in conflictive situations between neighbors. But, despite the social value that older people have in the east, the westernization of Israel is imposed in each place, trying to destroy each of these values.
At Checkpoint 300 in Bethlehem, you can see a series of unattainable and unsustainable permits for the elderly, and even worse, if they live in rural areas. There is a severe lack of freedom of movement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these passage permits were requested on the web and the reason had to be certified. Although men over 55 and women over 50 could sometimes pass without this permission, magnetic identification was required when crossing after 8 am. It happens that sometimes older people arrive a few minutes early. These women were punished with the impossibility of crossing until 11 in the morning, thus losing their medical appointment. They both approached us and told us: “It doesn't matter; we´ve been always waiting. We will continue doing, a paper won´t stop us.”
Caption: Two woman entering Checkpoint 300. Photo: Cynthia / EAPPI
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Destroyed harvests
For over 15 years, Firas has been driving, translating, and being an indispensable link between those of us who stay in Jerusalem as ecumenical accompaniers, and the people in the villages, Bedouin camps, and demolition victims with whom we cannot communicate in English. On 26 February 2024, he and his family went to visit Bait Iksa (a village 6 km north of Jerusalem) and found all the olive trees in his family's field uprooted. Several of the trees were over 100 years old. The members of the occupying forces not only destroyed more than 600 trees, but also the electrical and water systems and demolished the walls of a large and a very old cave on the property. Damage assessments using satellite imagery and local data indicated that 74 percent of the olive tree plantation in Palestine has been destroyed. According to several reports, the 2024 harvest saw the highest level of Israeli settler violence since the beginning of the occupation of Palestine.
By Mirtha Villa/EAPPI Uruguay
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Caption: Olive groves on family farm, occupied West Jerusalem 2024. Firas
In Efrat, 15 families remain
Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law, yet their establishment and expansion have continued unchecked and without International actions. There are 147 settlements in the West Bank, some of which are so large they have acquired municipal status. Vast swaths of Palestinian land have been confiscated, squeezing Palestinians into ever-smaller areas, leaving many without sufficient land to survive economically. Settlement expansion has accelerated during the past year, together with a marked increase in settlement planning approvals, including proposals for the first new settlements to be built in the West Bank since 2017. Nfouz and her seven children live in Al Khader, Bethlehem, where her late husband’s family used to tend land. The agricultural land was confiscated long ago to make way for the Israeli settlement of Efrat, home to 12,000 settlers. Seven years ago, Nfouz and her husband started work on an extension, to provide more space for their growing family. They were forced to stop building in April 2023, when Israeli authorities issued written intent to demolish their home. Home demolitions began in 2017, to construct a bypass road connecting Efrat with 12 other settlements. Nfouz and her children are now one of just 15 Palestinian families remaining in their neighbourhood.
“If my home is demolished, I will make a tent and I will live with my children inside it, here on this very spot where our house now stands. We have nowhere else to go.”
—Nfouz
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Living conditions in Jenin area are dire
Osama Sayegh, head of the Salt of the Earth Youth Organization, Jenin City, says that it has been almost two months since the Israeli military assault. Osama describes the situation as “dire,” and that “it creates economic hardship for the people.” He says: “The checkpoints are closed everywhere we go, and we do not know what the future will bring. We are under pressure by Israel and living in fear.”
Schools have been closed for the last 70 to 90 days; the people are unable to find livelihood, and there are no work permits in Israel. “This is painful,” and Osama goes on to say that Jenin refugee camp is 80 to 90 percent empty. The people have left the camp and vicinity, as the area is no longer suitable for a decent living. UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority are helping the people find homes but only at the most basic level. Other people went to stay with their relatives.
Approximately 350 Christians are living in the area: in Al-Jalameh, Burqin, Kufur Qad, Jenin City, Deir Ghazaleh, and Toubas. They are like all other people; no jobs and no income, and life is so hard. The Christians used to participate in the scouts parade in Jerusalem during Easter, but this time only 25 persons received permits and only for one week. Osama says: “This is not in the interest of anyone; Palestinians and Israelis. I want to see all people living in peace and safety.”
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Ramadan – access to worship
It was Friday in Ramadan. Thousands of people came from other cities to Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray at the holy site they hold so dear. Entire families prepared, dressed in their best clothes, fasted, and brought the richest meals for Iftar, and lived with God in their hearts. In the morning, we had been at the Qalandia checkpoint and saw how much of the crowds couldn't get through. Families divided: some allowed, others not. The cries of children, traffic jams, soldiers with machine guns, and armored personnel carriers deciding everything. By midday, we were able to reach the Lion's Gate at Al-Aqsa and saw how many people were left outside. On the one hand, the interior space was so full that it couldn’t fit any more people; on the other, the army didn’t let everyone through. It was time for prayer, and everything fell silent. It was at that moment that a soldier controlling the entrance called two children and took them under the tent set up for army personnel and for interrogations. First, they took their documents and held them there, while the rest of us prayed. They checked their pockets, shirts, and pants. Then they took them firmly by the hands to carry them away. We didn't see them again.
By Nicolás Iglesias Mills/EAPPI Uruguay
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Right to worship
Jerusalem is central to three global religions and is, by tradition and agreement, an open place for all. The right to worship freely and visit holy sites is enshrined in international law. This right is under ever-increasing threat in a city under military occupation since 1967—with fast rising settler activity, attacks, and pressure from the State of Israel.
For example, in 2025 less than 40k permits were issued to West Bank residents (over 50s only) for Friday prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque. This compares to 390k in 2023 – before the war on Gaza.
There has been a big rise in attacks on the Christian community including graffiti and verbal and physical assaults. Spitting has reemerged as a sadly all-too-common act of violence and intimidation. Research shows that only a small percentage of incidents are reported.
With eastern and western Easter coinciding with Passover (Pesach) this year, this should have been a joyous time in the city. Instead, over 7,000 Jewish settlers illegally accessed the Al Aqsa site to sing and pray there, protected by the IS–a provocative act breaking decades-old status quo rules designed to preserve peace–and many Christians were prevented from accessing the Old City and Church of the Holy Sepulcher during the iconic Holy Fire celebrations at Easter.
To safeguard human rights and preserve multicultural and religious diversity, unilateral actions that disrupt Jerusalem’s historic balance must be opposed and stopped by the International community.
Caption: Despair at Qualandia: the right to worship on last day of Ramadan denied.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Saturday peace meetings
EAPPI has been working for 23 years together with communities that, despite so much violence, continue to believe in peaceful resistance. And we are not the only ones.
We want to share the experience of Sa´id and his family (Dima, his wife and some of his 14 children of different ages). They move weekly from the village of Um Safa - where they live - to an area near Simreh (#SaveMasaferYatta) and even closer to the outpost “Mitzpeh Yair.” They are awaited by the violence of the occupation army and the settlers, who prevent them from accessing the land that belongs to them. But they also have the solidarity of many others. Every week, this family—with a hospitality typical of the Palestinian people, in a mixture of picnic, soccer, and volunteer work—hosts a transformative mitin for all of us who are called.
“We will never leave our land because land is our family and our history.”
—Sa´id
Caption: Sa´id working the land together with his family and other peace activists. Photo: Bruno/EAPPI
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Siraj School
Visiting schools and providing a protective presence are among our duties as ecumenical accompaniers. This can be a very rewarding activity because Palestinian children greatly appreciate visits from people from other countries, and when we gain their trust, they openly express their affection. It can also be a very painful experience if we witness settler attacks or army provocations at school entrances and exits, or when children tell us their home has been demolished or raided, or a family member is imprisoned. One of the schools we visit is the Siraj Al Quds Inclusive Model School, which serves 60 students from Jerusalem families experiencing economic hardship. Siraj is an inclusive school that also welcomes children with learning difficulties, as well as visual and hearing impairments. It also offers psychological support to assist with the treatment of trauma, which is sadly a constant in Palestinian children. In the months following the start of the current war on Gaza, break time in the playground had to be suspended due to threats and the increase in attacks on Palestinian communities. The school is located in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood, a few meters from the Jewish Cemetery and the Israeli settlements of Ma'ale HaZeitim and Ma'alot David, which together form the largest illegal housing complex in East Jerusalem. This proximity is dangerous, as children are at risk of being attacked on their way to school. Their right to education is also violated when classes are suspended because settlers block the main street to prevent vehicle access to the Old City. The presence of international observers is a discreet but valued contribution to enabling the girls and boys of Siraj School to enjoy the space of their small courtyard for activities and games during break time, and there is always some space for laughter, hugs, and the hospitality of a cup of tea with sage leaves.
By Ana Laura López/EAPPI Uruguay
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
A family separated
Many families living in the West Bank, like Hussein’s family, lack the right to a dignified life and a safe place to call home.
As we ecumenical accompaniers arrived at the Hussein family’s house in Jordan Valley, we encountered a sight that left us speechless.
Where a tin barrack building once stood, now all that remained was a huge pile of twisted sheet metal.
Our eyes immediately caught the logo of the European Union on a pile of tin. The father of the family tells us that they received the tin building as a donation from the EU six years ago.
The house was a home for the family's 22-year-old son, Hussein, who has limited mobility and uses a wheelchair.
The structure was modest, but spacious enough for Hussein so that he could use his wheelchair inside the building. In addition, the house had a bathroom suitable for a person in a wheelchair. Because Hussein’s house was demolished by Israeli authorities, he had to move into an assisted living facility tens of kilometres away, as the remaining part of the house was not suitable for him to live in.
Now the family is separated from each other. The family's parents and five other children live cramped in a small room.
Last year (2024) Israel demolished over 1,700 structures in East Jerusalem and West Bank, leaving over 4,000 people homeless, according to the UN. It is impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits in Israeli-administered Area C in the West Bank.
By Leena/EAPPI Finland
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Caption: Hussein’s house after it was demolished.
Educational Bookshop
The Educational Bookshop isn’t just a store—it’s a battleground for Palestinian identity. In 2024, Israeli police raided it twice, seizing books by Chomsky and a children’s coloring book about Palestine.
The Educational Bookshop is a landmark on Salah al-Din Street, the busiest commercial thoroughfare in East Jerusalem. The Muna family opened this bookshop in 1984 and now has two other stores. The bookshop offers a wide variety of books, maps, magazines, and other educational materials focusing on Middle Eastern culture and the Arab-Israeli conflict. At the shop on Salah al-Din Street, you can browse books, have a coffee upstairs, and chat with the owners, who personally tend to the store. The Muna family, in the words of Quique Kierszenbaum, The Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent, are "part of Jerusalemite cultural aristocracy.” Their kindness and hospitality have earned them a special place in people's hearts. At the entrance to the store, a Spiderman plush toy welcomes visitors, perhaps as a reminder that with the great power of books also comes great responsibilities. For Mahmoud Muna, 41, and his nephew Ahmed Muna, 33, the exercise of this responsibility took a sinister turn on the afternoon of 9 February, when Israeli police raided the bookstore and arrested them on charges of violating public order. News of the arrest and CCTV footage showing a group of plainclothes police officers inside the store, "seizing" books in black plastic bags, quickly circulated in the local, national, and international press and media. The evidence presented by the police at the court hearing included a book of photographs about the Separation Wall; texts by Noam Chomsky and the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe; and a children's coloring book chronicling the history of Palestine. The Munas' arrest sparked an immediate response from activists, diplomats, and intellectual leaders, who published letters of condemnation and attended the hearing where the booksellers were sentenced to five days of house arrest. The day after the raid, the store reopened and for several days received an even larger flow of visitors who came to express their solidarity. Although the prosecutor’s office had warned the police that they had exceeded their authority in the February raid, a second warrantless raid on 11 March resulted in the arrest of another owner, Imad Muna, 61, and the seizure of more books. The persecution and harassment of this bookstore so beloved by Jerusalem and international readers is part of the strategy of silencing and destroying Palestinian identity, history and culture, which underpins the acts of dispossession of Palestinian land and livelihoods.
"Where books are burned, people are also burned.” These words from Heinrich Heine were quoted in a letter published by several Israeli writers in solidarity with the Muna family.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
By Ana Laura López/EAPPI Uruguay
Access to education
Education is a human right, even in situations of conflict. However, in the Jordan Valley and other regions of the West Bank, occupation, de-facto annexation and growing settler violence pose major challenges for pupils and teachers. The school in Mu'arrajat East near Jericho serves as a place of education for children from shepherd communities; some even come to school by donkey. The school faces regular attacks and raids from settlers and the Israeli military. In September 2024, the school was stormed by a group of radical settlers. They were armed with sticks, they vandalized classrooms, and attacked a child, teachers, and Israeli activists who were present at the school that day. At first, the military arrested the school’s Palestinian principal who had tried to stop the settlers. Later five settlers were charged for their involvement in the attack, a very rare act of law enforcement.
“Many of our students are scared now to come to school. Some have never returned,” said the school principal.
Despite the ongoing attacks, the teachers want to continue to be there for the children and guarantee their right to education.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Caption: The school in M’arrajat East near Jericho was attacked by settlers in September 2024. © WCC-EAPPI/Mily
Girl’s education
According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, minors are protected from any form of violence. Furthermore, under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, children have the right to education. This presupposes access to education and a safe learning environment.
Both of these rights were violated in plain sight of international observers: During the exam period in January 2025, the Hamsa school complex in al-Khader, a small town near Bethlehem, was attacked on at least five different days by the Israeli military using stun grenades and tear gas. The canisters were deliberately thrown at the children. On 12 January, at least eight canisters of tear gas, one stun grenade, and one smoke grenade were fired at the girls leaving the school building, creating chaos. The girls inhaled the acrid fumes, started running in all directions, and tried to find cover in the side streets. When confronted by the school administration, Israeli soldiers claimed that children had thrown stones at them. However, none of the present international ecumenical accompaniers observed such behaviour from the children.
“I think about the soldiers every day. When they’re nearby and throwing tear gas and stun grenades, I try to take detours. During the exams last week, I was late several times because of it,” says a 15-year-old student at the Hamsa Girls School, who would not let the attacks by the Israeli soldiers prevent her from going to school.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Caption: Tear gas being thrown at students at the entrance of their school on 8 January 2025. Picture: EAPPI
“It happens nearly every night”
“It happens nearly every night. Without warning, without a search warrant, without a court order. While you are sleeping peacefully, a Palestinian family is woken up abruptly.”
—A Life Exposed, a joint report by Israeli human rights organisations Yesh Din, Breaking the Silence, and Physicians for Human Rights.
Whilst two young children slept one night, they lay unaware that around 20 Israeli soldiers were gathered outside their home. Unannounced, the soldiers entered the home. On being woken up by soldiers entering her room, the sleepy child instinctively greeted them in Arabic: “Salam Alaikum.” The children were taken to the living room along with their mother and father, where the soldiers then proceeded to beat their father.
When her mother asked why they were doing this, the soldier showed her a photo of her husband. It was from a wedding they had attended three months earlier. The photo had been taken by a settler who had driven his ATV through the wedding crowd.
Violent military raids such as this are not isolated incidents and have been increasing across the occupied West Bank. They are framed by the Israeli authorities as “searches” where there is “reason to suspect" an offence may be, or planned to be, committed. However, the parameters for authorizing are so expansive, that there is often no recognisable justification for a raid, and as the above report by Israeli human rights organisations concludes, “are more often than not arbitrary.” What is more annoying is the way the Israeli forces sometimes respond immediately to settlers’ claims and reports without the necessary procedures.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
No to annexation
Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law, yet their establishment and expansion have continued unchecked. There are 147 settlements in the West Bank, some of which are so large they have acquired municipal status. Vast areas of Palestinian land have been confiscated, squeezing Palestinians into ever-smaller areas, leaving many without sufficient land to survive economically. Settlement expansion has accelerated during the past year, together with a marked increase in settlement planning approvals, including proposals for the first new settlements to be built in the West Bank since 2017. This is due to the current Israeli government, which includes two major ministers who lead extreme ideological settler movements. The Kisiya family owns several acres of land in Al Makhrour, Bethlehem, which has been in their family for generations. Their home once stood there, together with a thriving restaurant. Israeli authorities designated the land as a military zone and prohibited the family from accessing it. They then demolished the Kisiya’s home and restaurant, despite legal documentation proving the family’s ownership of the land. In response, the Kisiyas erected a tent and lived in it, on the spot where their home once stood. Israeli soldiers dismantled the tent and ordered the family off their land. Nevertheless, the Kisiya family remain steadfast in their opposition to Israel’s attempt to confiscate their land, while at the same time surprised to see intimidating Israeli settlers in the area.
“We have been fighting for over 20 years. We are exhausted […] but we will not surrender. Our goal is to reclaim what is rightfully ours.” - Kisiya family
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Resort in Nahalin destroyed by Israeli authorities
Just west of Bethlehem is the small village of Nahalin, home to around 11,000 Palestinians. The residents of Nahalin have been facing demolitions for years. In the last quarter of 2024 alone, the Israeli authorities issued 35 demolition orders for buildings just outside the village, in Area C. On Christmas Day last year, a resort with a cafeteria, children's playground, and swimming pool were destroyed. The Israeli authorities arrived with three bulldozers, accompanied by six military jeeps. Residents who approached the site were kept away with tear gas and sound bombs. What had taken two years to build was destroyed in three hours.
"The resort was the only remaining public meeting place and playground in Nahalin. It was used by the villagers as a place for recreation,” said a member of the village community.
According to a United Nations report, a total of 2,193 buildings and structures were demolished in the West Bank between 7 October 2023 and 31 December 2024—despite the fact that any destruction of private or public property by an occupying power is illegal under Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), unless such destruction is necessary for military operations.
It is worth noting that area C in the West bank was meant to become a fully Palestinian area five years after the Oslo Accords.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Caption: The resort in Nahalin destroyed by the Israeli authorities, December 2024. © EAPPI/A.
Sabah
Sabah is a leader in the village of Kisan, Bethlehem, in the occupied Palestinian territory. She has established a programme in her village to provide a protective presence for Palestinians who are herding near the village. The programme has drawn inspiration from the protective presence that World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel human rights observers provide.
The shepherds often face harassment and attacks from ideological settlers and soldiers living near the area.
Sabah herself was a victim of an attack. One of the herders in the community had called Sabah and told her that she was being harassed by settlers and soldiers.
Sabah arrived at the scene and began documenting the soldiers' activities. As a result, the soldiers smashed Sabah's phone and struck her several times on the neck. Because of the attack, Sabah later required treatment in the hospital.
Despite the attack, Sabah continues to work for her community. Sabah has also established a library in Kisan and wants to work specifically for the welfare of women and children in the village.
By Anne/EAPPI Finland
Caption: Sabah shepherding.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Settler outposts
Palestinians have been subject to successive actions since 1967 resulting in the loss of land, in violation of international law.
The first Israeli settlements were built on Palestinian land soon after the Six Day War and there are now around 150 settlements in the West Bank. In addition, there are over 200 settler outposts, dwellings established “unofficially” by ideological settlers on Palestinian land.
Israel has also seized Palestinian land by issuing military orders declaring the area “state land,” a "firing zone,” or a “nature reserve.”
Other areas have been effectively taken over by settlers through daily acts of violence. For example, in the Jordan Valley, settlers regularly place Israeli flags at the entrance to and around Palestinian herding communities.
In the small herding community of Al Farisiya, Abu Ahmaed said: “The flags were put there by two Israeli settlers on quad bikes. They told us that we will be in trouble if the flags are removed or damaged. Settlers and the Israeli army drive into our camp every day, sometimes several times a day. I am frightened and have to treat the flags like I treat my own children.”
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Yusuf: impact on livelihood of specific family
Yusuf* and Safa* from Furush Beit Dajan tell us about the pressure exerted by settlers. The family is under constant surveillance by settlers who fly drones over their house and have set up an illegal outpost right next to it, complete with an Israeli flag to back up their claim. The settlers have openly told Yusuf: “This is our land and we will take it.” But despite the constant threats, Yusuf says: “I will never leave our land.”
Yusuf mainly grows melons on his three dunams of land, a small field in front of the family home. However, like many Palestinian farmers, he is no longer able to make a living solely from his own crops due to the impact of the occupation and the expansion of the settlements. As development opportunities in the Jordan Valley are close to zero in other areas too, Yusuf had no choice but to take on work in a nearby Israeli settlement—a settlement that is illegal under international law. His wife Safa works on the family's land, while Yusuf works for the settlers. He tells us: “They took our land and I teach them how to cultivate it.”
Yusuf’s story highlights the wider problem of Palestinian laborers in Israeli settlements. The agricultural produce of these settlements, much of which is exported internationally, contributes directly to the maintenance of the occupation and the expansion of the settlements and their agricultural production. As a result, Palestinian farmers are deprived of their livelihoods and are often forced to give up farming or even their land in search of other sources of income, or even to move away. In its Advisory Opinion on the “Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,” the International Court of Justice emphasized that settlements and the occupation as a whole are illegal under international law. The court called on third states to distinguish in their relations with Israel between the territory of the State of Israel and the settlements in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and to not render aid or assistance to illegal settlement activities.
Caption: Watermelon sprouts planted by Yusuf* and Safa* in the Jordan Valley. Despite all the difficulties, many people here haven’t given up the struggle to preserve their land and their agriculture. © WCC-EAPPI/Bre
*Names have been changed
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Tornado
“The Mountain of the Unyielding.” That’s what Tornado calls his residence next to the Israeli-established Hamra checkpoint. There, the peaceful resistance towards the occupation continues.
Tornado's eyes light up as he begins to tell stories that his family has heard countless times: “The soldiers came and offered me two million dollars for this piece of land. I asked them to follow me out and I grabbed an olive branch. I said to them, 'Boys, listen carefully.' I told them that olive tree was worth more than their two million dollars. This land is mine and the resistance on the Mountain of the Unyielding will continue until my last day."
Perseverance and patience unite the Palestinians of the Jordan Valley, who continue their quiet resistance and their daily lives despite the harassment.
Palestinian stories often follow the same pattern on how their right to livelihood is infringed. First, Israel declares the farmers' land a military zone, a nature reserve, or an archaeological site where it is illegal to live or graze sheep. Then, it is forbidden to draw water from the wells that have been used for generations. Finally, the soldiers come and confiscate the tractor.
Still, the Palestinians find new ways to survive.
The well is replaced by water tanks that bring water from a nearby village. When the main road is closed with concrete pillars, locals replace it with several new ones across the desert and over the mountains. If necessary, the confiscated vehicle will be replaced by a donkey. A destroyed home is replaced by a tent.
Each adversity makes life more difficult, but Tornado is not ready to give up.
By Leena/EAPPI Finland
Caption: Tornado among his olive trees.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Housing
Nureddin Amro and his brother are blind and live with the rest of their family in a house in Wadi Joz, Jerusalem. Other families and friends live in the neighboring houses. Most of them have had their homes demolished to make room for what is reportedly a tech startup project, ironically called Silicon Wadi. Nur's house has a long history of demolition orders. Nur and his brother are teachers and he is a principal at an inclusive school in East Jerusalem. To raise funds for this project, Nur has surrounded himself with an international presence, including EAPPI, which attends the school regularly. He believes this is why his house hasn't been demolished yet. What did happen is that the Israeli municipal authorities elevated the street where his house is located, but the house remained at the same level as before. The elevation of the street created a wall with no openings all the way across the small courtyard in front of the house, which was "buried" behind it. This absurd situation makes it difficult to enter or exit the house and makes mobility difficult, especially considering that two blind people live there.
By Nicolás Iglesias Mills/EAPPI Uruguay
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Accompaniment by Israeli human rights groups to harvest
In spring 2025, ecumenical accompaniers from the South Hebron Hills team joined forces with the Israeli organisation Rabbis for Human Rights to support the Palestinian farmers in Wadi Al-Rakhim during the harvest. Rabbis for Human Rights provides a protective presence of Israelis and internationals by accompanying the Palestinian farmers, trying to prevent violence and harassment so that they can enter and work their land safely. A week earlier, the family had already tried to harvest on their own in Wadi Al-Rakhim. They were forcibly evicted by settlers from the neighbouring settlement of Susya. According to eyewitnesses, the settlers then tried to set the fields on fire.
Soon after they started harvesting, young settlers appeared, accompanied by a dozen sheep, which were deliberately driven onto the field to trample down and eat the wheat. Stacked hay bales were deliberately kicked over. As if that wasn't enough, more settlers soon arrived in military clothing and with assault rifles, which they pointed at the harvesting group. They physically and verbally harassed members of the group for over two hours.
Israeli soldiers arrived eventually. To everyone’s surprise, the soldiers asked the settlers to step back. Way more often, international and Israeli activists are stopped by the army or police and are unable to carry out their planned activities, or the situation on the ground escalates due to attacks by settlers or the deployment of the army, which then usually declares the affected area a closed military zone, so that everyone has to leave the area.
Despite the interruptions, the group finally managed to do at least part of the harvest. In the middle of the fields, with dust on their skin and heat in the air, the ecumenical accompaniers drank tea together with the Palestinian families and the Israeli activists. It was a moment to catch their breath, to exchange thoughts, and to rest.
“It was a great success to be able to harvest anything at all.”
—Rabbis for Human Rights activist
Photo captions: While Palestinian families, Israeli activists and EAs continued harvesting, soldiers could be seen discussing with the settlers. ©WCC-EAPPI
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Gaza mother speaks of fear—but also aspirations for a better future
Ola, a mother from Gaza, hasn’t held her children in over a year. Trapped in Egypt since the war began, she speaks of their survival under bombs—and her dreams for peace
Ola, a mother from Al-Zahra City, Gaza, happened to be in Egypt on 7 October 2023, when the war started. Since that day, she has been separated from her family—three daughters and two sons—who remain in Gaza. She has not seen or held them since the war began.
Before the war, Ola and her family lived in a beautiful three-story home. The home was reduced to rubble in an Israeli airstrike. Her children were forced to flee, initially to Gaza City and then from one shelter to another and, under shelling, they struggled to reach their grandparent’s home on foot. But that home, too, was bombed. Covered in dust, hungry, and in shock, they had to keep moving. For more than one month, Ola had no way of reaching them by phone.
“Ola’s home was reduced to rubble; her children now sleep in tents. “Every minute is unbearable pain,” she says.
Her husband is also moving from one place to the other under siege and bombardment. He was besieged for a long time at Al-Shifa Hospital, where he worked as a doctor.
Speaking by phone from Egypt, Ola shared her story while in tears and her voice trembling with fear. “I am a mother living through a nightmare,” she said. “The thoughts I have about my children’s future terrify me. Knowing that they are under bombardment means that every minute is filled with unbearable psychological pain.”
She also described the horrifying situation in Gaza: “My cousin ventured outside to buy wheat and was killed. No one could retrieve his body for burial until the ceasefire. Then the whole family was bombed—the mother, father, and even a baby they had taken in for shelter were killed. Now, four children are left orphaned.”
Ola’s plea is simple but from the heart: “I want the war to end, to see Gaza rebuilt, and to be with my children. I want to live in peace, safety, and dignity.”
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony
The Joint Israeli Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony has been organized by two binational organisations each year for the last 20 years. Parents Circle Families Forum is an organisation of more than 700 families, Palestinian and Israeli, who have lost a family member to the ongoing conflict. Combatants for Peace was founded by former Israeli and Palestinian combatants, who went through a personal transformation and onto a path of nonviolence as a means to achieve a lasting peace based on justice and equality.
The ceremony, held for the 20th time in April 2025, provides a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand strong in demanding an end to the occupation and ongoing violence. It takes place on the eve of Israel’s national Memorial Day. From the very beginning, the organizers of this special joint Memorial Day Ceremony wanted to raise awareness of the suffering on both sides, to mourn together, to see each other as those who have paid the highest price - the loss of loved ones - and to draw strength for their joint commitment to reconciliation.
On the day of the joint event, they take this message to the whole world. One-hundred-sixty live-streaming events were planned in the run-up to this year’s ceremony. Co-presenter Fida Shehada stated in her opening remarks: “Holding this ceremony is not to be taken for granted. Many voices oppose joint events between Israelis and Palestinians. These are the same voices that try to sever the possibility of a shared existence in this space. Despite the intimidation and silencing, we choose, once again this year, to stand together, choose to remain hopeful and hold on to our humanity.”
The urgent desire for a peaceful future and coexistence between the two peoples was emphasised with moving reports from people on both sides who have lost loved ones in recent months and years. Co-presenter Shira Gefen explained why the message of the ceremony was so important to her: “I came here to say to those who ask me ‘Why are you sad about a Palestinian child who died? You should mourn the death of a Jewish child first’ – that to me, a child is a child. I grieve both equally. A profound grief. Grief has no language or borders, no flag or nationality. I hold on to this grief, because it is what keeps me human.”
The recording of the ceremony can be watched online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvGxSbdGYHA
Links to the CfP and PCFF websites
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Palestinian houses seized inside Hebron Old City
Palestinians in the urban city of Hebron, particularly in the H2 zone, face even more complex restrictions and obstacles to movement in the recent years. The Israeli occupation and the illegal establishment of its settlements literally above the homes where Palestinian families live, leads to severe problems such as the interruption of basic services like electricity or water, as well as total and permanent blockade of their streets, or even their own windows and roofs. Israeli settlers appropriate Palestinian homes that were previously attacked, and their owners are harassed, forced to flee, or are unable to access the homes due to the military exclusion zone of the area.
In a clear violation of international humanitarian law, all habitable infrastructure, including access to markets and even the mosque itself, was restricted. One of the residents says, “Our families have lived here for generations. Since I was very young, I remember all the free movement that there was before. Today, it’s impossible to walk through all those places again [...] I help several neighbors who cannot get their basic groceries from the shop because we are isolated, even from our own relatives.”
Despite recent attacks by settlers on Palestinian homes, residents and their community are still steadfast on their land and, above all, supporting each other in mutual solidarity. You can follow more related incidents about Hebron on Youth Against Settlements. Social media link: https://x.com/yashebron?lang=en
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Caption: In July 2022 settlers took over and stormed into a Palestinian home and, with the help of the army, installed concrete walls around it, with only one access via a staircase. Photo: Nicolás/EAPPI
Right to prayer in Palestine crumbles under restrictions and violence
For three months, I witnessed how, especially on Fridays, the situation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem followed a pattern that repeated and progressively worsened: long lines of Palestinian worshippers being turned away at the entrances, their gazes reflecting a mix of frustration, anger, and deep collective sorrow.
But it wasn’t just the prohibition that stifled their voices—it was also the beatings, the shouts, and the excessive force given by the Israeli Forces. The violence escalated to such an extent that the Israeli armed forces reinforced and increased military and police checkpoints, even deploying snipers at strategic points near the Lion’s Gate.
No one escaped the repression. While the greatest brutality fell upon young Palestinian men, it also affected women, the elderly, and children, whose laughter was silenced under the weight of oppression. This photo, taken on 15 November 2024, from El-Ghalazi Square near Al-Aqsa, silently captures the emotions of those who were denied access to the mosque.
Amid the sorrow, one Palestinian told us: "There’s no reason to stop us from praying. They just want to break our spirits."
https://www.dw.com/es/israel-niega-a-cientos-de-palestinos-rezar-en-la-…
Photo caption: 15 November 2024. El-Ghalazi Square, Jerusalem: Palestinians pray outside Al-Aqsa as the Israeli Defense Forces prevent them from accessing Friday prayers. WCC-EAPPI/Mélida Lu
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Safe access to school
Palestinian children deserve safe access to their school.
On 31 October 2023l, Israeli settlers attacked the Al-Khansaa' primary school in Tuqua', Bethlehem, West Bank. Settlers destroyed the entrance and security camera of the school, removed the Palestinian flag, and wrote on the school wall “the land of Israel only belongs to Israel.” Muna Abdallah, principal of the school affirmed: "We are afraid of the armed settlers. I want the attacks to stop and a safe access to the school.”
Al-Khansaa' is one of the 250 closed schools in the West Bank since 7 October 2023, according to the estimates by the Educational Cluster, a platform that serves the needs of the Palestinian children and schools impacted by the crisis. According to the Educational Cluster, the closing of schools is due to the children’s fear of harassment on their way to their schools, the movement restriction, and the settlers´ violence.
The Educational Cluster also affirmed that since 7 October 2023, at least 313 children from 15 communities were forcibly displaced in the West Bank. Seven of these communities can no longer access their schools, while at least three of them face a higher risk of demolition given the Israeli army and settlers´ vandalism.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Settler violence in the West Bank forces Palestinian communities to leave
At a time when global attention is focused on Gaza, settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank continue without public attention. On 9 October 2023, settlers from the Hilltop Youth organization attacked the community of Al-Janoub, near Sa'ir, in Hebron. The settlers burned four houses, took 200 sheep, and destroyed food worth NIS 3,000 (USD 750) that farmers had stored for the winter. Seven families live in Al-Janoub, but due to violence and harassment, four families are leaving, while the remaining three are planning to leave. Assistance is needed to prevent the forcible transfer of Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
This story is one link in a chain of testimonies speaking to the longstanding injustices people living under occupation are forced to endure – as shared by local communities and witnessed by participants in the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
In violation of international law, a permanent system of Israeli control and settlement has been established in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the occupation began in 1967. Under the current Israeli government that came to power in December 2022, the expansion of the Israeli presence in the West Bank is being driven forward with unprecedented vehemence, while the everyday life of the Palestinian population is increasingly reduced to a smaller area. Members of the government of Israel have publicly stated that the goal of these actions is to prevent a two-state solution and to annex (part of) the West Bank to Israel, in violation of international law. Analysis of the trends by the WCC-EAPPI, based on incident reporting by ecumenical accompaniers, speaks to record levels of human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Facts and figures:
Relevant rules that pertain to situations of military occupations can be found in the Hague Convention IV of 1907 and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. While military occupations are not prohibited, international law specifies obligations of the occupying power that are meant to protect the occupied population. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice found in its Advisory Opinion that Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory are in breach of international law.
Occupation is a temporary situation – June 2025 will mark 58 years since the occupation of the Palestinian territory began.
The occupying power does not gain sovereignty over the occupied territory – After the 1967 war, Israel de-facto annexed East Jerusalem to its territory and enshrined its sovereignty in Israeli law in 1980. In 2019, prime minister Netanyahu announced plans to annex the Jordan Valley. The plan was paused in favor of normalization agreements with Arab nations. In its coalition agreement of December 2022, the Israeli government declared: “The Jewish people have an exclusive and indisputable right to all parts of the Land of Israel. The Government will promote and develop settlements in all parts of the Land of Israel - the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan and Judea and Samaria,” Judea and Samaria being the biblical name of the West Bank. In November 2024, Israeli finance minister Smotrich declared 2025 to be “the year of annexation” in the West Bank. There is currently de facto annexation happening in many areas of the West Bank, especially in Area C (this area - more than 60% of the West Bank - is under full Israeli administration and security control), which includes the Israeli settlements that violate international law.
The occupied territories are under the administration of the occupying power's army - Under the current Israeli government, a new civilian authority has been put in charge of all civilian affairs of the Israeli settlers and Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank. While a military commander is meant to take only military and security needs into consideration, national Israeli interests in the West Bank are now the focus of the civilian administration.
The occupying power administers the occupied territories for the benefit of the occupied population - Israel applies two different legal systems in the West Bank, using civil law for Israeli settlers and martial law for the Palestinian population, which discriminates against the latter (please see table below).
Transfer of the occupying power's civilian population into the occupied territory is prohibited – The construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem started in 1967. Today, around 750,000 settlers live in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in more than 380 settlements and settlement outposts (in 2024 alone 59 new outposts were established).
Destruction or confiscation of property in the occupied territory is prohibited unless absolutely necessary for military reasons during the conduct of hostilities - Since UNOCHA began its systematic documentation in 2009, almost 12,000 Palestinian buildings and infrastructure objects have been destroyed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with 20,000 people losing their homes. On average 98% of building applications by Palestinians in Israeli controlled Area C of the West Bank are rejected. This policy also applies to, among others, schools, clinics, and donor-funded structures.
Forced displacement of the population from and within the occupied territory is prohibited – Demolition of homes is one reason for forced displacement, but often forced displacement is less visible. A climate that encourages forced displacement has prevailed in parts of the West Bank for years, by restricting freedom of movement and access to services like education or healthcare, access to land and livelihood and by expanding settlements. Since October 2023, this situation has worsened: 20 Palestinian communities have been forced to abandon their villages due to settler violence and restrictions on their livelihoods by the army and authorities, and families have moved away from many more communities.
Civil Society Responds – Civil society organisations and groups in Israel and Palestine have been opposing occupation and de facto annexation for decades, using nonviolent means. Former combatants from both sides (Combatants for Peace) and relatives of victims of the conflict (Parents Circle Families Forum) talk to school classes about peace and reconciliation. Israeli activists stay overnight in particularly vulnerable communities in the Jordan Valley and the South Hebron Hills (e.g. Looking the Occupation in the Eye, Jordan Valley Peace Activists). Religiously motivated groups support people facing the loss of land and livelihoods (e.g. Rabbis for Human Rights). Civil rights and human rights organisations represent those affected by rights violations in court (e.g. Yesh Din). In their joint endeavors, they are showing that coexistence is not a utopia. They hold on to their vision that a just peace can become a reality.
| Israeli expansion in the West Bank | Shrinking of Palestinian space in the West Bank |
|
Settlement expansion
|
Preventing Palestinian construction
|
|
Land confiscation
|
Loss of freedom of movement and access to land
|
|
Government support for the settler movement
|
Settler Violence
|
|
Forced displacement
|
[i] https://peacenow.org.il/en/settlements-watch/settlements-data/population
[ii] https://peacenow.org.il/en/settlements-watch/settlements-data/construction
[iii] https://peacenow.org.il/en/settlement-planning-monitor
[iv] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/magazine/israel-west-bank-settler-violence-impunity.html
[v] https://peacenow.org.il/en/the-year-of-annexation-and-expulsion-summary-of-settlement-activity-in-2024
[vi] https://peacenow.org.il/en/at-least-seven-outposts-established-in-palestinian-controlled-area-b
[vii] https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-01-21/ty-article/.premium/israel-rejects-98-of-palestinian-building-permit-requests-in-west-banks-area-c/0000017f-f7ce-d044-adff-f7ff0b250000
[viii] https://peacenow.org.il/en/the-year-of-annexation-and-expulsion-summary-of-settlement-activity-in-2024
[ix] https://www.ochaopt.org/page/demolition-orders-against-palestinian-structures-area-c-israeli-civil-administration-data
[x] https://www.ochaopt.org/data/demolition
[xi] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/elementary-school-ein-samiya-demolished
[xii] https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-pushing-for-demolition-of-palestinian-construction-in-west-bank-areas-a-b/
[xiii] https://peacenow.org.il/en/settlements-watch/settlements-data/lands
[xiv] https://peacenow.org.il/en/state-land-allocation-west-bank-israelis
[xv] https://peacenow.org.il/en/settlements-watch/settlements-data/lands Grafik „Settlements area of control”
[xvi] https://peacenow.org.il/en/the-bad-samaritan-land-grabbing-by-settlers-through-grazing
[xvii] https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-said-pushing-to-start-legalization-process-for-68-illegal-west-bank-outposts/, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-09-05/ty-article/.highlight/israel-moves-to-legalize-dozens-of-west-bank-farm-outposts/00000183-0c71-dd51-ada7-6efb88ae0000
[xviii] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-274-west-bank
[xix] https://www.ochaopt.org/sites/default/files/ocha_opt_firing_zone_factsheet_august_2012_english.pdf
[xx] https://peacenow.org.il/en/the-minister-of-defense-approved-the-declaration-of-the-largest-nature-reserve-in-25-years-in-the-west-bank
[xxi] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-impact-20-years-barrier-december-2022
[xxii] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/movement-and-access-west-bank-september-2024
[xxiii] The Silent Overhaul – Changing the nature of Israeli control in the West Bank https://www.yesh-din.org/en/the-quiet-overhaul-changing-the-nature-of-israeli-control-in-the-west-bank-analysis-of-israels-37th-governments-annexation-policy-and-its-ramifications/
[xxiv] https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/east-mediterranean-mena-israelpalestine/246-stemming-israeli-settler-violence
[xxv] https://peacenow.org.il/en/while-we-were-at-war-the-governments-annexation-revolution-in-the-west-bank-since-october-7th
[xxvi] https://peacenow.org.il/en/war-and-annexation-how-the-israeli-government-changed-the-west-bank-during-the-first-year-of-war
[xxvii] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-252-west-bank
[xxviii] https://www.btselem.org/settler_violence/20231019_forcible_transfer_of_isolated_communities_and_families_in_area_c_under_the_cover_of_gaza_fighting
[xxix] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-262-west-bank
The ICJ issued a landmark Advisory Opinion on 19 July 2024 in response to the request from UNGA.[1] It included, among others, the following key legal determinations:
- Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful;
- Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible;
- Israel is under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities, and to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory;
- Israel has the obligation to make reparations for the damage caused to all the natural or legal persons concerned in the Occupied Palestinian Territory;
- Israel’s treatment of Palestinians constitutes systemic discrimination in violation of several treaties including Article 3 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which specifically prohibits racial segregation and apartheid.
- All States are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
- International organizations, including the United Nations, are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
- The United Nations, and especially the General Assembly, which requested this opinion, and the Security Council, should consider the precise modalities and further action required to bring to an end as rapidly as possible the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
- The Court stressed the urgent necessity for the United Nations as a whole to redouble its efforts to bring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a speedy conclusion, thereby establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.
Is the Advisory Opinion binding?
An ICJ Advisory Opinion is not binding. The requesting state, organ, agency, or organization remains free to decide, as it sees fit, what effect to give to these opinions. Advisory Opinions are, however, the authoritative clarification on a legal issue from the world’s highest court. They therefore hold significant legal and moral authority and are used to set precedent and influence decision-making.
Reaction to the Advisory Opinion
Israel
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the ICJ’s determinations, saying: "The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land, including in our eternal capital Jerusalem nor in Judea and Samaria, our historical homeland. No absurd opinion in The Hague can deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestral home.”[2]
Palestine
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the opinion, saying: “The ICJ’s ruling is a triumph for justice, affirming that the Israeli occupation is illegal.”[3]
UNGA
On 18 September 2024 UNGA adopted a resolution in response to the Advisory Opinion calling for the end to Israel’s unlawful presence in Occupied Palestine within a year.[4]
WCC
“The ICJ Advisory Opinion is a decisive moment for the choice between occupation and freedom, between oppression and justice, between despair and hope. Palestinians and Israelis deserve a better future, and a new path forward unobstructed by the occupation that has continued since 1967. We all long and pray for the end of this prolonged conflict and the establishment of just peace in this context.”[5]
[1] Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem
[2] Statement by PM Netanyahu Prime Minister's Office
[3] State of Palestine on X: "Palestinian Presidency welcomes the ICJ ruling and called on the international community to compel Israel to rapidly end its unlawful presence in Palestine
[4] UN General Assembly widely supports a Palestinian resolution demanding Israel end its occupation | AP News
[5] WCC statement on the International Court of Justice ruling on the illegality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land
Annexation is prohibited under international law. It is a unilateral act of proclaiming sovereignty over the territory of another state. While de-jure annexation is formally declared, de-facto annexation is a situation of policies and practices that amount to annexation, without the formal declaration.
The International Court of Justice issued a landmark Advisory Opinion on 19 July 2024 in response to a request from UNGA. It included, among others, a set of key legal determinations.
In violation of international law, a permanent system of Israeli control and settlement has been established in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the occupation began in 1967.
These webinars are offered as part of the campaign Stop annexation, end the occupation: pave a path for a just peace in Palestine and Israel – organized by the World Council of Churches through its Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (WCC-EAPPI) on 21 May - 11 June 2025.
21 May 2025, 3 PM CEST: From Occupation to Annexation: Legal perspectives and the implications of current political realities for the occupied population
5 June 2025, 3 PM CEST: Accompaniment, solidarity and joint action for justice and peace
Attendance in both webinars is open to the public by registration.
