The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
January 8, 2026

U.N. Rights Chief Decries "Apartheid" in Occupied West Bank as Israel Approves New Settlements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Israel has cleared the final hurdle to begin construction on the E1
settlement project near Jerusalem that would split the occupied West
Bank in two. The project has been under consideration for more than two
decades but had been put on hold due to U.S. pressure. Meanwhile, U.N.
human rights chief Volker Türk said that Palestinians in the occupied
West Bank faced apartheid. It's the first time a U.N. human rights chief
has used the term.

Volker Türk: "Whether accessing water, school, rushing to hospital,
visiting family or friends, harvesting olives, every aspect of life for
Palestinians in the West Bank is controlled and curtailed by Israel's
discriminatory laws, policies and practices. Israel is violating
international law requiring states to prohibit and eradicate racial
segregation and apartheid."



.