The UK Mission in Geneva has placed on record its prepared statement for the UN Human Rights Council’s sixty‑first session, scheduled under Item 2 for the interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The text, published on 2 March 2026, notes the statement was not delivered in the room due to time constraints. (gov.uk)
The submission thanks the High Commissioner for his report and reiterates the UK’s grave concern about the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It underscores that civilians must be protected and that aid must enter safely, rapidly and at scale, reflecting the report’s findings on the impact of hostilities on essential services, movement restrictions and constraints on humanitarian access. (gov.uk)
On the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the statement highlights settler violence, restrictions on movement and pressures on civic space as factors contributing to an increasingly unstable environment, and urges all parties to take urgent steps to reduce tensions. (gov.uk)
The UK describes Israeli settlement expansion as at an all‑time high and a flagrant breach of international law, warning that such trends push both peoples further from peace. The legal baseline for this position is set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), which reaffirms that settlements have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation under international law. (gov.uk)
Looking ahead, the UK says it will work with partners to stabilise conditions, ease humanitarian suffering and support a credible political horizon. It calls for rapid implementation of the 20 Point Plan to lay foundations for a just and lasting peace anchored in a negotiated two‑state solution. For context, UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (17 November 2025) endorsed a comprehensive plan for Gaza, welcomed a Board of Peace and authorised a temporary International Stabilisation Force; the UK voted in favour and has since backed transitional steps including a Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. (gov.uk)
The UK closes by asking the High Commissioner which immediate measures would most improve humanitarian access and civilian protection across Gaza and the West Bank. The report before the Council, A/HRC/61/26, covers 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025 and includes recommendations, including a call on States to cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms to Israel where such supplies facilitate violations of international law, alongside measures to strengthen protection and access. In his 26 February address, the High Commissioner characterised the situation as a human‑made disaster. (ohchr.org)
For UK policy teams, two operational lines are reinforced. First, the Government’s legal view on settlements under international law remains unchanged, informing diplomacy and positions across related policy areas. Second, the stress on civilian protection and humanitarian access will continue to feed into export licensing assessments under the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, including Criterion 2(c), which requires refusal where there is a clear risk items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law. (press.un.org)
The Council’s sixty‑first session runs from 23 February to 31 March 2026 in Geneva. Although the UK intervention was not delivered in the chamber, its publication signals near‑term priorities: scaling aid into Gaza, de‑escalating in the West Bank and delivering commitments linked to Resolution 2803 and the 20 Point Plan in support of a negotiated two‑state outcome. (indico.un.org)