Gaza scholars: Israeli measures in WB, Gaza legally invalid, aim to dismantle Palestinian presence

The National Gathering of Scholars, Preachers, and Intellectuals in Gaza affirmed on Tuesday that the Israeli enemy’s measures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including annexation, killings, siege, and starvation, constitute an attempt to dismantle the Palestinian presence and forcibly reshape the reality on the ground. These measures are legally invalid and do not grant the enemy any right to the land.

In a statement, the Gathering said that the Israeli enemy’s resumption of registering vast areas of West Bank land under the guise of “state land” represents a practical step towards imposing full colonial sovereignty over the land and forcibly reshaping its legal and demographic reality, according to the Sanad News Agency.

The statement pointed out that this step is not merely a technical administrative procedure, but rather an advanced stage in a colonial project that seeks to entrench creeping annexation, tighten control over the land, fragment Palestinian cities and towns, and undermine any possibility of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state.

It clarified that the Israeli measures violate the principle of the inadmissibility of acquiring land. By force, and in defiance of international resolutions that prohibit settlement activity and altering the legal status of the occupied territories.

The statement added that the Israeli enemy’s escalation in the West Bank coincides with the ongoing aggression against Gaza, the worsening siege, and the prevention of aid deliveries, amidst the near-total collapse of the health and service sectors. This is part of a comprehensive approach targeting the land in the West Bank and life in Gaza to forcibly reshape the Palestinian reality politically, geographically, and demographically.

The group called on the international community, particularly the states party to the Geneva Conventions, to move from statements of condemnation to practical steps to halt annexation policies, end the aggression, and ensure the unrestricted delivery of aid.

It noted that the current stage necessitates restoring national unity and building a comprehensive political, legal, and diplomatic strategy that reaffirms the Palestinian people’s right to their land, activates international accountability mechanisms, and strengthens the internal front.