A Tragedy Foretold: UN Expert Warns of Imminent Ethnic Cleansing in West Bank, Calls for Global Action
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
GENEVA (18 March 2025) – The international community is on the brink of witnessing a mass ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, a UN expert warned today, as Israel continues to advance its long-standing agenda to seize Palestinian land and forcibly displace its people under the cover of conflict.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, stressed that while ethnic cleansing itself is not a standalone crime, the actions driving this process amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and even genocide. She warned that the ongoing violence and displacement in Palestine mirror the devastating events of 1947-1949 and 1967.
Albanese pointed to the Israeli military’s relentless bombardment of Gaza, which has killed 48,570 Palestinians and displaced 1.9 million. The destruction has made it virtually impossible for survivors to return, with some Western governments even suggesting the forced relocation of displaced people—a proposal she condemned as both unlawful and deeply harmful.
The violence has escalated in the West Bank, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from cities like Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams since January 2025. Israeli forces, along with settler militias, have used air strikes, bulldozers, and demolitions to raid homes, destroy villages, and erase vital infrastructure.
“The West Bank is witnessing its worst military assault since the second intifada,” Albanese said, comparing the ongoing destruction to the suffering experienced in Gaza. “What we are witnessing today in the West Bank is a new ‘Trail of Tears.’”
With Israel’s plans to extend its military presence and prevent displaced Palestinians from returning, the international community faces a critical moment, Albanese emphasized. Israel’s strategy, she noted, aims at creating a “Greater Israel” free from Palestinians, achieved by displacing and suppressing the Palestinian population.
“Israel’s conduct in Palestine, in its attempt to erase Palestinians as a people, amounts to a genocidal campaign,” Albanese concluded. She urged the international community to act swiftly, citing the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, which calls for an end to Israel’s unlawful occupation.
Albanese also called for targeted sanctions against Israel, the suspension of arms transfers, and support for the arrest warrants against Israeli leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court. “This is a collective responsibility,” she said. “Palestine is a wound, and it is never too late for the world to do the right thing.”
