<\/p>\n
27 March 2026<\/em><\/p>\n Human Rights Council<\/strong><\/p>\n Sixty-first session<\/strong><\/p>\n 23 February\u201331 March 2026<\/p>\n Agenda item 2<\/p>\n Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner The Human Rights Council<\/em>,<\/p>\n Guided<\/em> by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,<\/p>\n Recalling<\/em> the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid and all other relevant conventions, and affirming that these international conventions and human rights instruments are, among others, applicable to and must be respected in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,<\/p>\n Recalling also<\/em> the relevant rules and principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949 (Fourth Geneva Convention), and customary international law, which are applicable to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,<\/p>\n Recalling further<\/em> the statement of 15 July 1999 and the declarations adopted on 5 December 2001 and 17 December 2014 at the Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on measures to enforce the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,<\/p>\n Recalling<\/em> the relevant resolutions of the Human Rights Council, the General Assembly and the Security Council,<\/p>\n Recalling also <\/em>relevant United Nations reports, including the outcome reports of fact-finding missions and commissions of inquiry, and the important recommendations made therein, and calling upon all duty bearers and United Nations bodies to pursue the implementation of those recommendations,<\/p>\n Recalling further <\/em>the advisory opinion rendered on 22 October 2025<\/a> by the International Court of Justice on the obligations of Israel in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and the Court\u2019s determination, inter alia, that Israel, as the occupying Power, is under an obligation to ensure full respect for the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations, including its entities and personnel, and to refrain from any interference with the performance of their functions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and is prohibited from taking actions against United Nations officials and experts on missions operating in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory,<\/p>\n Affirming<\/em>, in accordance with the advisory opinion of 22 October 2025 by the International Court of Justice, that Israel, as the occupying Power has an obligation under international human rights law to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including through the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States, in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory,<\/p>\n Stressing<\/em> the need for all parties, in conformity with relevant provisions of international humanitarian law, to cooperate fully with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies and organizations, to allow full, timely, unconditional, unhindered and safe humanitarian access and to ensure access for humanitarian personnel and the delivery of supplies and equipment in order to allow such personnel to efficiently perform their task of assisting affected civilian populations, including refugees and internally displaced persons, and the need for the independence, neutrality and impartiality of humanitarian organizations to be respected and protected in accordance with international law,<\/p>\n Recalling<\/em> the advisory opinion rendered on 19 July 2024<\/a> by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Court\u2019s determination, inter alia, that the continued presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and that Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible, and its reaffirmation that the Israeli settlements and the regime associated with them have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law,<\/p>\n Recalling also <\/em>the advisory opinion rendered on 9 July 2004<\/a> by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the construction of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and in particular the Court\u2019s determination that the construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime are contrary to international law, and that Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations is not applicable to cases where the threat originates from a territory over which Israel exercises control, as an occupying Power,<\/p>\n Recalling further <\/em>the order of the International Court of Justice of 26 January 2024<\/a> that indicated provisional measures in the case lodged by South Africa against Israel on the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (South Africa v. Israel<\/em>) in relation to the right of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip to be protected from all acts within the scope of articles II and III of the Convention,<\/p>\n Recalling<\/em> the assessment of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel that Israel has no intention of ending its occupation and is acting to alter the demography of the Occupied Palestinian Territory through the maintenance of a repressive environment for Palestinians and a favourable environment for Israeli settlers and that it is incrementally annexing the territory,<\/p>\n Expressing grave concern<\/em> at unlawful legislative and administrative measures adopted by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including recent decisions in 2026 to impose Israeli land registration procedures in the occupied West Bank for the first time since 1967, to reclassify extensive areas of occupied Palestinian territory as Israeli \u201cstate land\u201d, to abolish existing prohibitions on the transfer and sale of occupied land to Israeli settlers, and to consolidate Israeli control over land administration, planning and enforcement throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, entrenching Israel\u2019s unlawful presence and deepening de facto annexation, in violation of international law, and recalling that Israel, as the occupying Power, has no sovereign rights over the Occupied Palestinian Territory and that unilateral measures to change the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure or status of the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, or any part thereof have no legal validity and that Israel\u2019s policy and practices of settling parts of its population and new immigrants in those territories constitute a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention relative to the protection of Civilian persons in Times of War and also constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice and relevant United Nations resolutions,<\/p>\n Reaffirming<\/em> the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force and the prohibition of all policies and practices of systemic discrimination on the basis, inter alia, of race, religion or ethnic origin, and expressing deep concern at the fragmentation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, through settlement activities and other measures that are tantamount to de facto annexation of Palestinian land,<\/p>\n Stressing<\/em> the urgency of achieving without delay an end to the unlawful presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,<\/p>\n Affirming <\/em>the obligation of all parties to respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law,<\/p>\n Reaffirming<\/em> the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation in accordance with international law,<\/p>\n Recalling <\/em>that collective punishment, forcible transfer, the targeting of civilians and civilian objects, the use of starvation as a means of warfare and the blocking of access to humanitarian aid constitute war crimes and that incitement to genocide and the commission of genocide and of crimes of aggression are international crimes,<\/p>\n Deploring <\/em>plans, policies and actions aimed at displacing the Palestinian people individually or collectively, inside or outside their homeland, or at forced displacement, exile or deportation of any form, under any circumstances and for whatever reason, which constitute a grave violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention,<\/p>\n Emphasizing<\/em> the obligation of States to investigate and prosecute grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, to end impunity, to uphold their obligations, to ensure respect and to promote international accountability,<\/p>\n Expressing deep concern<\/em> that the sale, diversion and transfer of arms and jet fuel increase the ability of Israel, the occupying Power, to commit serious violations, including attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructures, disregard international law and seriously undermine the enjoyment of human rights,<\/p>\n Expressing regret<\/em> at the lack of progress made in the conduct of domestic investigations in accordance with international law standards, and aware of the existence of numerous legal, procedural and practical obstacles in the Israeli and Palestinian civil and criminal legal systems contributing to the denial of access to justice for Palestinian victims and of their right to an effective judicial remedy,<\/p>\n Noting<\/em> the accession by the State of Palestine to several human rights treaties and the core international humanitarian law treaties, and its accession on 2 January 2015 to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,<\/p>\n Expressing grave concern<\/em> that long-standing impunity for international law violations has allowed for the recurrence of grave breaches and serious violations without consequence, and stressing the need to ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in order to end impunity, ensure the access of victims to justice and effective remedies, deter further violations, protect civilians and promote peace,<\/p>\n Expressing grave concern also<\/em> at reports of serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and all other actions designed to change the legal status, geographical character and demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and at the determination on 26 January 2024 and thereafter by the International Court of Justice that there is a an urgency, in the sense that there is a real and imminent risk that irreparable prejudice will be caused to the rights of the Palestinians to be protected under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,<\/p>\n Stressing<\/em> that early recovery and reconstruction plans must aim to achieve, inter alia, the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and ensure their right to return and right to self-determination, including, among other measures, the participation of the Palestinian people in the design and implementation of such plans as a concrete expression of these rights,<\/p>\n Expressing grave concern<\/em> at the documented use of sexual violence, including rape, sexual harassment and public humiliation, as a tool of oppression against Palestinians, and recognizing the findings of the Commission of Inquiry with regard to the targeting of women and girls, particularly through attacks on maternity hospitals, the denial of reproductive healthcare and the use of starvation as a method of warfare, with specific impacts on maternal health,<\/p>\n Deploring <\/em>the grave consequences of the conflict in and around the Gaza Strip, including the high number of casualties, in particular among Palestinian civilians, including infants, children, women, youth, civil society actors, lawyers, journalists and other media workers, medical personnel, humanitarian aid workers and the highest number of United Nations staff killed anywhere in the world during a conflict, as well as ongoing violations of international law, and calling for full respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law and for the principles of legality, distinction, precaution and proportionality,<\/p>\n Appalled <\/em>by the catastrophic humanitarian, socioeconomic and security situation in the Gaza Strip resulting from repeated military operations, prolonged closures and severe economic impediments and movement restrictions, including for humanitarian access, amounting to collective punishment in the form of a blockade, as well as the use of starvation as a method of warfare, which has resulted in famine, and the obstruction of supplies indispensable for the survival of the civilian population, the widespread and wanton destruction of residential areas and critical civilian infrastructure, including refugee camps, United Nations facilities, educational institutions, medical facilities, water, sanitation and telecommunication networks and fuel supplies by Israel, the occupying Power, and the short- and long-term detrimental impact of this situation on human rights,<\/p>\n Expressing grave concern<\/em> at the firing of rockets into Israel,<\/p>\n Stressing <\/em>the need to end immediately the closure of the Gaza Strip, by Israel, and all policies and practices of siege, and the policy of closures and the imposition of severe restrictions and checkpoints throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, several of which have been transformed into structures akin to permanent border crossings, other physical obstacles and a permit regime, which are applied in a discriminatory manner, affecting the Palestinian population only, and all of which obstruct the freedom of movement of persons and goods, including medical and humanitarian goods, throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and further impair the Territory\u2019s contiguity, violating the human rights of the Palestinian people, in violation of international law, including its obligations as the occupying Power under international humanitarian law,<\/p>\n Deploring<\/em> all policies and practices whereby Israeli settlers who reside illegally in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, are accorded preferential treatment over the Palestinian population, and deploring also the widespread violations of the human rights of Palestinian civilians, including as a result of recurrent and escalating terror attacks by settlers, including those armed by government officials, which are conducted with full impunity,<\/p>\n Expressing deep concern<\/em> that thousands of Palestinians, including many children, women, elected members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and human rights defenders, continue to be detained, including under terms of administrative detention, with limited or no judicial recourse, and held in Israeli prisons or detention centres under harsh conditions, including unhygienic conditions, solitary confinement, restricted access to proper medical care, denial of family visits and denial of due process, which impair their well-being, and appalled by the ill-treatment, harassment and torture of Palestinian prisoners and all reports of inhumane treatment and torture, including widespread sexual violence, particularly against women and girls,<\/p>\n Expressing grave concern<\/em> at draft legislative proposals before the Israeli Knesset to impose mandatory death sentences under certain circumstances exclusively on Palestinians, which would constitute discrimination on the basis of nationality or ethnicity and violate the rights to life and equality before the law and to a fair trial, in breach of Israel\u2019s obligations under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as international humanitarian law,<\/p>\n Recalling<\/em> the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) and the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), and calling for respect for those rules,<\/p>\n Recalling also<\/em> the prohibition under international humanitarian law of individual and mass forcible transfers, and of the deportation of protected persons, from occupied territory, and the prohibition of the deportation or transfer by the occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory that it occupies,<\/p>\n Deploring<\/em> the practice of withholding the bodies of those killed, and calling for the release of the bodies that have not yet been returned to their relatives, in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law,<\/p>\n Recognizing<\/em> the work of Palestinian, Israeli and international civil society actors, lawyers, journalists and other media workers, humanitarian agencies and human rights defenders in documenting and countering violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and deploring the deliberate targeting of protected persons by Israel, the occupying Power,<\/p>\n Recalling<\/em> the orders of the International Court of Justice of 26 January 2024 and subsequent orders requiring Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians, and to ensure the preservation of evidence related to allegations of such acts, and, in this regard, affirming the vital role of individuals and civil society institutions, including non-governmental organizations, groups and national human rights institutions, as well as the importance of fundamental freedoms, in supporting documentation, preservation of evidence and independent monitoring relevant to compliance with the Court\u2019s orders,<\/p>\n Deeply concerned<\/em> by the continued restrictions imposed by Israel on foreign journalists\u2019 independent access to the Gaza Strip, and noting the pending decision of the so-called Supreme Court of Israel on this matter, which may entrench such limitations, with serious implications for press freedom and the right to seek, receive and impart independent and reliable information on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,<\/p>\n Expressing deep concern<\/em> that disinformation spread by States and State-sponsored actors, including international media outlets, can accompany serious violations of international law and can have a negative impact on the enjoyment of human rights, in particular in times of armed conflict, and underlining the importance of free, independent, plural and diverse media to counter disinformation and misinformation,<\/p>\n Convinced<\/em> of the need for an international presence to monitor the situation, to contribute to ending the violence and protecting the Palestinian civilian population and to help the parties to implement the agreements reached, and stressing the importance of Palestinian, Israeli and international non-governmental organizations, which have been instrumental in human rights monitoring, protection and relief efforts undertaken by the international community, and expressing concern about the decision taken by Israel to proscribe, ban or smear certain non-governmental organizations,<\/p>\n 51st meeting<\/em><\/p>\n 27 March 2026<\/em><\/p>\n [Adopted by a recorded vote of 24 to 4, with 19 abstentions. The voting was as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n In favour<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n Angola, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Cuba, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Iceland, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Mauritius, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Viet Nam<\/p>\n Against<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n Bulgaria, Czechia, Ethiopia, North Macedonia,<\/p>\n Abstaining<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n Albania, Benin, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Burundi, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, France, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), Republic of Korea, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]<\/p>\n Note<\/strong>: Footnotes have been omitted. They are available in the original source\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 27 March 2026 Human Rights Council Sixty-first session 23 February\u201331 March 2026 Agenda item 2 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 27 March 2026 61\/4. 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\nfor Human Rights and reports of the Office of the
\nHigh Commissioner and the Secretary-General<\/strong><\/p>\nResolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 27 March 2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n
61\/4. Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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