Red Cross chief warns settlement growth leads to ‘de-facto annexation’

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross slams Israeli settlement expansion as leading to a “de-facto annexation” of the West Bank.

“The settlements have facilitated the process of de-facto annexation,” Peter Maurer says at a press conference in East Jerusalem, wrapping up a three-day visit to Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Expanding settlements are a “source of legal and humanitarian concern” as it has “enormous impact on people,” Maurer says, citing limitations on freedom of movement and access to agricultural lands and water resources.

Mauerer says his delegation visited detainees in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, but that he was not granted access to the Israelis held by Hamas in the coastal strip. He maintains that Hamas is violating international humanitarian law by denying families any information about relatives detained in the context of military hostilities, but says it was not the Red Cross’s place to mediate between Israel and Hamas.

“This is an issue that the respective parties have to negotiate,” Maurer says. “We are not in the business to negotiate these issues.”

— Raphael Ahren