Israel conducting 'gradual de facto annexation' of W.Bank: UN official

A top UN official warned Wednesday that steps by Israel to tighten control of areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority amount to "gradual de facto annexation."

Since last week, Israel has approved a series of initiatives backed by far-right ministers to consolidate control over the West Bank where the Palestinians exercise limited autonomy under past deals.

"We are witnessing the gradual de facto annexation of the West Bank, as unilateral Israeli steps steadily transform the landscape," UN Under Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo told a meeting of the Security Council on the Palestinian question.

"If implemented, these measures will constitute a dangerous expansion of Israeli civil authority in the occupied West Bank, including in sensitive areas like Hebron.

"The moves could lead to settlement expansion by removing bureaucratic barriers and easing land purchases and building permits."

The recently approved steps are set to increase Israel's control in parts of the West Bank where the Palestinian Authority currently exercises power.

- 'Prevent destabilization' -

Under the Oslo Accords, the West Bank was divided into areas A, B and C -- under Palestinian, mixed and Israeli governance respectively.

The West Bank would form the largest part of any future Palestinian state, but many on Israel's religious right view it as Israeli land.

The Oslo Accords, in place since the 1990s, were signed with the stated aim of paving the way for an independent Palestinian state.

The UN missions for 85 member states issued a joint statement Tuesday condemning Israel's encroaching control of the West Bank.

"We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel's unlawful presence in the West Bank," the statement said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said ahead of DiCarlo's remarks that "amazingly so many countries say the Jewish presence in our ancient homeland violates international law."

"No other nation in any other place in the world has a stronger right than our historical and documented right to the land of the Bible."

Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said "there is something fundamentally racist about this colonial narrative underlying all these illegal policies."

Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who chaired the meeting, said "we must prevent the destabilization of the West Bank and preserve the viability of a Palestinian state."

"We have seen the Palestinian economy face strangulation, including the Israeli government withholding some of the Palestinian Authority's own tax revenues," she said.

Wednesday's meeting was reportedly brought forward as Trump prepares to convene a meeting of his "Board of Peace" in Washington.

The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory's reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel.

But its purpose has since morphed into resolving myriad international conflicts, triggering suspicions the US president wants to create a rival to the United Nations.

"The board is not talking. It's doing," US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said, accusing "the chattering classes" of criticizing the structure of the board.

The UN will be unrepresented at the meeting of the board.