Written statement submitted by The Palestinian Return Centre, a non-governmental organization in special consultative status. Human Rights Council Fifty-ninth session, 16 June–11 July 2025. Agenda item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

UNREF: A/HRC/59/NGO/150

Date: 13 June 2025

Title: Escalating Ethnic Cleansing in the Northern West Bank: A Call for Immediate International Intervention

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Press Release

⭕️ PRC’s UN Submission Accuses Israel of Ethnic Cleansing and the Destruction of Entire Palestinian Communities in the West Bank

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) has submitted an official written statement to the United Nations, titled: "Escalating Ethnic Cleansing in the Northern West Bank: A Call for Immediate International Intervention." The report warns of the sharp deterioration in human rights conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in the northern West Bank, where refugee camps and Palestinian towns have been subjected to large-scale military operations by Israeli forces since the beginning of 2025.

According to the statement, these operations—marked by aerial bombardments and ground raids carried out in coordination with settler militias—have resulted in the forcible displacement of over 40,000 Palestinians, along with the widespread destruction of infrastructure, including hospitals, roads, and water systems, rendering many areas uninhabitable.

PRC asserts that these actions reflect a systematic pattern of ethnic cleansing, evidenced by mass displacement, property destruction, and the prevention of return—amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The report highlights the growing role of armed settler groups, who frequently carry out attacks on homes and agricultural lands with direct protection from the Israeli military, as part of a policy aimed at imposing a forced demographic shift. It also notes official Israeli statements declaring that the displaced "will not be allowed to return," which PRC views as a clear expression of intent to achieve permanent depopulation.

PRC strongly condemned the inaction of the international community and the double standards in applying international law, warning that such silence amounts to de facto complicity, granting Israel impunity to continue its colonial and expansionist policies at the expense of the Palestinian people’s fundamental rights.

In its recommendations, the PRC called on the Human Rights Council and UN Member States to:

The PRC concluded its report—reference number: A/HRC/59/NGO/150—by stressing that the situation is not a temporary humanitarian crisis, but rather a deliberate colonial policy aimed at uprooting the indigenous Palestinian population, in blatant violation of international law and the principles of justice and the right of peoples to self-determination.