From Partition to Occupation: The Ongoing Violation of Palestinian Sovereignity
A report on the occupation and settlement in Palestine against International law
By Sonia Darrieumerlou / GICJ
The expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories constitutes a prolonged and systematic breach of international law. Since the 1947 UN Partition Plan and Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, territorial acquisition and the displacement of Palestinians have continued beyond then boundaries legally recognised by the United Nations.
Today, more than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas considered occupied under international law. These settlements, subsidised by the Israeli state and supported by private funding, violate the Fourth Geneva Convention’s prohibition on transferring the occupying power’s population into occupied territory. Due to the Oslo Accords failure to halt expansion, the Israeli settler population has grown fivefold since the 1990s, entrenching Israeli control and undermining Palestinian sovereignty.
The occupation’s impact extends beyond land acquisition. Palestinians face forced displacement, destruction of farmland, and unequal legal treatment, with settlers governed by civil law and Palestinians by military law. Settlement-related tourism and economic activities further normalise and sustain the occupation.
Although Israel withdrew its settlements from Gaza in 2005, its continuing control over Gaza’s borders, airspace, and maritime access maintains its status as an occupied territory. Recent military actions and restrictions on humanitarian aid have deepened the crisis and drawn global condemnation.
This report assesses these developments within the framework of international law, concluding that Israeli settlement policies and military occupation systematically violate the UN Charter, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and multiple UN resolutions, while eroding the international legal order and obstructing Palestinian self-determination.
Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) strongly condemns the Israeli settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territories as a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and relevant UN resolutions. We call upon the international community and all states to impose robust sanctions on Israel and to formally recognise the State of Palestine. It is imperative to end the devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. GICJ remains deeply concerned by the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the OPT, including East Jerusalem, which constitutes a grave breach of international law and an enduring obstacle to the realisation
of a just and lasting peace.
GICJ recalls that the United Nations should continue to report the grave violations of human rights and territorial rights in OPT and remove all settlements. We also recall that the establishment and expansion of settlements in occupied territory contravene numerous provisions of international law, including Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which expressly prohibits the transfer of the occupying power’s civilian population into the territory it occupies. Furthermore, these actions have been repeatedly condemned by the United Nations Security Council, most notably in resolution 2334 (2016), which reaffirms the illegality of the settlements and calls for an immediate cessation of all settlement activities.
We ask the International community to pressure the Israeli government to respect international law and
human rights as well as the decisions of the International Criminal Court. The Palestinian people deserve justice, reparations, restoration of their homes, and the fundamental right to live in peace, safety, and dignity.
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