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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 26, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 26, 2026
UN rights chief: Israel aims to bring ‘permanent demographic change’ to West Bank, Gaza
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleIsrael’s actions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip seem aimed at creating “permanent demographic change,” UN rights chief Volker Turk says.
“Taken together, Israel’s actions appear aimed at making a permanent demographic change in Gaza and the West Bank, raising concerns about ethnic cleansing,” Turk says in a speech before the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Turk points in particular to an ongoing, year-long Israeli military operation in the West Bank’s north that has caused the displacement of 32,000 Palestinians.
Last week, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that the goal of Israel’s next government would be to “encourage the migration” of Palestinians from the West Bank in addition to Gaza.
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