Amnesty International Accuses Israel of Ethnic Cleansing in West Bank

Amnesty International has leveled severe accusations against Israel, alleging a "state-directed campaign of ethnic cleansing" in the West Bank. In a report released Wednesday, the human rights organization claims that Israeli authorities have implemented measures over the past three and a half years aimed at displacing the Palestinian population from Area C of the West Bank. This action, Amnesty states, constitutes the "crime against humanity of forcible transfer."

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state-directed campaign of ethnic cleansing

The organization points to the expulsion of Bedouin and pastoral Palestinian communities, alongside the apparent annexation of parts of the occupied territory, as evidence. Amnesty asserts that the Israeli government, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is accelerating settlement expansion driven by a religious-nationalist agenda. Area C, which comprises over 60 percent of the West Bank, has been under Israel's civilian and military control since the 1995 "Oslo-II Accord." The report notes that international law prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its own population into occupied territories.

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crime against humanity of forcible transfer

According to Amnesty, Israel's right-wing, religious government is openly pursuing the annexation of Area C through legislative changes, including shifting competencies from military to civilian authorities and streamlining settlement approval processes. The budget for Israel's Ministry of Settlement and National Tasks has reportedly increased by 122 percent in the last three years, reaching 764 million shekels (approximately 225 million euros). These actions, Amnesty contends, are in defiance of numerous United Nations resolutions and the International Court of Justice's 2024 advisory opinion, which deemed Israel's occupation of the West Bank unlawful.

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To the present moment, the Federal Government is of the opinion that our voice is heard in Israel and that other measures are not necessary at this time.

During a press conference in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul rejected calls for new sanctions against Israel. He stated that the German government believes its voice is heard in Israel and that other measures are not currently necessary. Wadephul affirmed that Germany has clearly communicated its opposition to the "illegal settlement policy" in the West Bank to Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has dismissed Amnesty's allegations.

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illegal settlement policy