Israeli settlers violently attacked a 71-year-old foreign woman and a 51-year-old foreign man who were acting as 'solidarity activists' in the occupied West Bank.

The UN High Commissioner states that Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip are aimed at imposing 'permanent demographic change' in these Palestinian territories.

The United States will for the first time provide consular and passport services to American citizens within Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli settlers are reportedly continuing attacks on Palestinian residents in the occupied West Bank, with local residents claiming the Israeli army is assisting them.

The United States will begin offering temporary passport services to US citizens in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Muslim and European nations, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Brazil, France, and Denmark, have jointly condemned Israeli attempts at the “unacceptable de facto annexation” of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.

Approximately 20 governments, including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, France, and Spain, have strongly condemned Israel's recent measures to strengthen its control over the occupied West Bank, calling it 'de facto annexation'.

The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Religious Affairs reports that Israeli settlers defaced and set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank.

A young Palestinian-American man was killed trying to stop Israeli settlers from stealing his sheep.

Attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank have intensified recently, backed by Israeli forces.

Israel’s plans to claim parts of the occupied West Bank as ‘state property’ is raising concerns in neighbouring Jordan.

Israeli settler attacks are driving Palestinian Bedouins from their homes in the occupied West Bank.

• Pakistan asks international community to reject provocative decision allowing takeover of occupied land as state property • EU calls annexation illegal, Arab nations denounce ‘threat to peace efforts’ • Israel imposes restrictions, deploys police around Al-Aqsa JERUSALEM / ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan denounced the latest Israeli move to convert areas of the West Bank into “state property”, the UN chief called upon Tel Aviv to reverse its new, “unlawful” policy allowing registration of the occupied land in the occupied territory as state property. Israel’s foreign ministry claimed the measure, approved late on Sunday, would enable “transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes” but the move drew strong condemnations from across the globe for its violation of international law. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this new measure was destabilising and unlawful, according to a statement by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Pakistan also denounced the step as a clear violation of international law as well as relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Islamabad urged the international community to reject the decision, said a statement issued by the For­eign Office spokesperson. It added that the occupying power continued to disregard international law and its provocative actions undermined the prospects for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region. “Pakistan calls on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law,” the spokesperson added. ‘Undermine peace efforts’ Arab nations Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan also criticised the move as illegal. The measure is “aimed at impo­sing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank” that would undermine peace efforts in the region, Saudi Arabia’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement. Jordan’s King Abdullah II said the actions “undermine efforts to restore calm and thr­e­aten to exacerbate the conflict,” according to a statement released by the royal court. The European Union called on Israel to reverse the move. “This constitutes a new escalation after recent measures already aimed at extending Israeli control,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni said. “We reiterate that annexation is illegal under international law.” The Ramallah-based Palest­inian Authority called for inte­r­national intervention to prevent the “de facto beginning of the annexation process and the undermining of the foundations of the Palestinian state”. Israeli anti-settlement watc­­h­dog Peace Now called the measure a “mega land grab”. Jonathan Mizrachi, the NGO’s co-director, told AFP that the move would attribute new resources for land registration. “There was a lot of ambiguity regarding the land, and Israel decided now to deal with it,” Mizrachi said, adding that the grey area over Area C land ownership was likely to be used against Palestinians. “A lot of land that Palestinians consider theirs, they will find out it’s not theirs under this new registration process,” he said, believing the move would further the Israeli right’s annexation agenda. Changing demography Palestinians see the West Bank as foundational to any future Palesti­nian state, but many on Israel’s religious right want to take over the land. The latest Israeli initiatives come in the wider context of increasing attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to rights groups. “We are witnessing rapid steps to change permanently the demography of the occupied Palestinian territory, stripping its people of their lands and forcing them to leave,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a recent statement. US President Donald Trump has opposed Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, saying stability in the territory helps keep Israel secure. However, he has held off from dire­ctly criticising the new Israeli measures, despite the international outrage. Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law. Around three million Palestinians live in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Al-Aqsa restrictions Israeli police said Monday that they would deploy in force around the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramazan, as Palestinian officials accused Israel of imposing restrictions at the compound. Over the course of the month of fasting and prayer, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Islam’s third-holiest site. Arad Braverman, a senior Jerusalem police officer, said forces would be deployed “day and night” across the compound, adding that thousands of police would also be on duty for Friday prayers. Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem. The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55. Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026

Several nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, have condemned Israel's decision to register occupied West Bank lands as 'state property,' calling it a dangerous escalation.

Türkiye on Sunday denounced Israel’s decision to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property,” calling the step a breach of international law and an attempt t...

UN rights chief Volker Turk reported that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip appear to be aimed at creating “permanent demographic change” in the region.

A Palestinian man was seriously wounded after illegal Israeli settlers opened fire on his vehicle south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian media on Thurs...

The United States will provide on-site consular services in two Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank for the first time, a move welcomed by Israel but criticized by the Palestinian Authority as undermining the possibility of an independent state.

Palestinians on Wednesday marked the 32nd anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in Hebron, commemorating one of the deadliest attacks on worshippers in the occupied West Bank...

Israel has ordered 37 aid groups to halt operations in war-torn Gaza, as well as occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Norway and several other countries have condemned Israel's measures to strengthen control over the occupied West Bank, describing them as an attempt at de facto annexation.

For two years, settlers attacked Rezeq Abu Naim’s land in the Israeli-occupied West Bank at all hours and in all manners. After another violent incursion over the weekend, his family abandoned their home.

JERUSALEM: Israel on Wednesday imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem and capped the worshippers number at 10,000 during the holy month of Ramazan which began on Wednesday. The Israeli authorities also imposed age restrictions on West Bank Palestinians, permitting entry only to men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to age 12 to attend the Friday prayers. “Ten thousand Palestinian worshippers will be permitted to enter the Temple Mount for Friday prayers throughout the month of Ramadan, subject to obtaining a dedicated daily permit in advance,” COGAT, the Israeli agency in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement. “Entry for men will be permitted from age 55, for women from age 50, and for children up to age 12 when accompanied by a first-degree relative.” COGAT said, adding that restrictions apply only to Palestinians travelling from the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Imam of Al Aqsa arrested by Israeli police; Hamas condemns arrest, restrictions on worshippers’ access to holy mosque “It is emphasised that all permits are conditional upon prior security approval by the relevant security authorities,” COGAT said. “In addition, residents travelling to prayers at the Temple Mount will be required to undergo digital documentation at the crossings upon their return to the areas of Judea and Samaria at the conclusion of the prayer day,” it said, using the Biblical term for the West Bank. During Ramazan, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed in a move that is not internationally recognised. Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, the attendance of worshippers has declined due to tough Israeli restrictions. Israel arrests Al Aqsa Mosque Imam Israeli police on Monday arrested the Imam of Al Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Moh­am­med al-Abbasi, from inside the mosque’s courtyards in occupied Jerusalem. The Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing local sources, reported that Israeli forces detained Sheikh al-Abbasi inside the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque without giving any reason. It said the arrest “comes amid escalating Israeli measures against the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque, including restrictions on imams, preachers and worshippers stationed there, limitations on the entry of worshippers, and intensifying incursions carried out by settlers under heavy protection from Israeli police”. On Tuesday, Hamas condemned the arrest of al-Abbasi in a statement, saying he had been “served with an order banning him from the mosque”. The movement said the measure “constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of Al Aqsa and an unacceptable assault on its imams”. Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2026

Israel has intensified its raids, settler attacks, and home demolitions across the occupied West Bank.

Israeli NGOs have raised the alarm over a settlement plan signed by the government which they say would mark the first expansion of Jerusalem’s borders into the occupied West Bank since 1967. Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967 and later annexed it in a move not recognised by the international community. Palestinians view East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The proposal was published in early this month as international outrage mounts over creeping measures aimed at...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit New York on February 18 to participate in a high-level United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the situation in Palestine, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday. In a statement, the FO said that the meeting will be chaired by the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary as president of the UNSC. The statement said that during the briefing, Dar will reaffirm Pakistan’s “principled and consistent position on Palestine”. “He will reiterate Pakistan’s strong opposition of Israel’s recent illegal decisions to expand its control over the West Bank, emphasise the need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, full implementation of Security Council resolution 2803, scaled-up humanitarian assistance, and the early commencement of Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction,” the statement said. “The deputy prime minister will also underscore Pakistan’s continued engagement with international and regional partners, including the group of eight Arab and Islamic countries and the United States, in support of a just and lasting peace, anchored in international law, leading to the realisation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian State based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” the statement added. Separately, on the margins of the visit, Dar will hold bilateral meetings with counterparts to discuss matters of mutual interest, it concluded. The development comes as the foreign ministers of eight Muslim nations, including Pakistan, condemned the Israeli move to claim land in the occupied West Bank as “state property”. It should be mentioned that the same eight countries had worked with US President Donald Trump’s administration on a plan last year on a plan to end Israel’s genocide and invasion in Gaza. On Monday, Pakistan had released a separate statement condemning the Israeli move, calling on the international community to reject its actions.

Israel is set to restart the land registration process in Area C of the occupied West Bank, a region entirely under Israeli control, a move that could have significant implications for the territory.

Israel has begun a controversial land regulation process in a significant portion of the occupied West Bank, a move that could lead to increased Israeli control over the territory.

Türkiye has denounced Israel's decision to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as 'state property,' calling the move an illegal breach of international law.

New footage reportedly reveals a 14-year-old boy bleeding to death on the street in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, raising further concerns about the Israeli army's treatment of detainees.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights states that Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip aim to impose "permanent demographic change" in these Palestinian territories.

The United States will provide on-site consular services, including passport services, to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank for the first time, marking a shift in previous policy.

The United States will provide passport services inside an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank for the first time, the US embassy in Jerusalem has announced. The move applies to the settlement of Efrat and will begin on 27 February. The decision has drawn condemnation from Palestinian officials, who describe it as a breach of international law. In a statement, the US embassy said consular officers would offer routine passport services in Efrat for one day as part of an outreach i...

The U.S. Embassy in west Jerusalem plans to offer consular services at an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank for the first time, providing routine passport assistance Fri...

Hamas welcomed a statement from nearly 20 countries condemning Israel's recent measures to strengthen its control over the occupied West Bank and called for sanctions.

Türkiye's Foreign Ministry, along with 20 countries and two regional organizations, issued a joint statement warning Israel against its latest decisions in the occupied West Bank, which they view as advancing de facto annexation.

Nasrallah Abu Siyam shot dead in occupied West Bank as UN human rights office accuses Israel of war crimes Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian American man during an attack on a village, the Palestinian health ministry and a witness have said. Raed Abu Ali, a resident of Mukhmas, said a group of settlers came to the village on Wednesday afternoon where they attacked a farmer, prompting clashes after residents intervened. Continue reading...

Israeli forces carried out violent raids across the occupied West Bank, detaining Palestinians and demolishing homes.

The Palestinian Authority's deepening budget shortfall is cutting through West Bank society, but is most stark in schools, where reduced teacher salaries and shortened weeks a...

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday denounced Israel’s decision to designate parts of the occupied West Bank as “state property.” 'The Secretary-General condemns the...

Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s latest move to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property”, calling on the international community to reject its actions, according to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO). Al Jazeera reported on Sunday that the Israeli government had approved the proposal to claim large areas of the occupied territory as property of the state if Palestinians could not prove ownership, a move which prompted outcry from Palestinian group Hamas, the Palestinian presidency, and political analysts. “Pakistan strongly condemns the latest attempt by the Israeli occupying power to convert areas of the Occupied West Bank into so-called state property, and to expand illegal settlement activities,” the statement said. It pointed out that these steps clearly violated international law and relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, stressing that they “must be rejected” by the international community. “The occupying power’s continued disregard for international law and its provocative actions undermine the prospects for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region,” it added. “Pakistan calls on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law,” the statement said. It once again reaffirmed full support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and for the establishment of an “independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital”. Most Palestinian land is not formally registered because it is a long, complicated process that Israel stopped in 1967. Regis­tra­tion of land establishes permanent ownership. International law states an occupying power cannot confiscate land in occupied territories. Palestinian group Hamas had condemned the decision on Sunday, calling it an attempt “to steal and Judaise lands in the occupied West Bank by registering them as so-called ‘state lands’”. However, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz described the move as an “essential security and governance measure designed to ensure control, enforcement, and full freedom of action for the state of Israel in the area”, according to the Jerusalem Post.