The United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People organized its fifth annual conference on Jerusalem.

This year's conference, held in cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, focused on the impact of Israeli settlement policies on the Palestinian population of Jerusalem.

The conference discussed the demographic changes resulting from the expansion of Israeli settlements and how they affect the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, as well as the legal and human rights implications of Israel's settlement policy - including the impact on property rights, the discriminatory division of municipal land and freedom of movement.

The conference, which was held virtually via the Internet, served as a platform for Palestinian and international experts to present their views to the international community, interact with member states and other parties, and discuss possible solutions and strategies to challenge such policies.

The committee chair, Ambassador Cheikh Niang, said the conference reviewed the impact of Israeli settlements on East Jerusalem, including the institutional, social and economic challenges facing the Palestinian population.

It also discussed recommendations regarding actions related to the United Nations database of companies facilitating the work of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, compiled by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Ambassador Niang said that Israeli policies aimed at bringing about demographic change, particularly through the establishment of settlements, forced displacement, and ongoing home demolitions in East Jerusalem, in addition to the tight control over Palestinian movements and daily business, make Palestinians feel trapped in isolated enclaves and excluded from the rest of the West Bank and the world.

He added, "Israel restricts the ability of Palestinians to find work and housing, with a heavy social and economic impact on their daily lives, and imposes control through a complex system that limits access to their Jerusalem identity and residency rights."

On the one hand, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East Affairs, Khaled El-Khayari, said that the presence and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank - including East Jerusalem - is directly linked to the escalation of Israeli settler violence.

He said that Israel - as the occupying power - is obligated to protect Palestinians and their property from acts of violence committed by armed settlers, and to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.

He pointed out that the United Nations supports all diplomatic efforts that enable the two parties to resume a credible political process that leads to ending the occupation and establishing a just and lasting peace in the context of the two-state solution.

It is noteworthy that the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People was established in 1975 pursuant to General Assembly resolution 3376, and was assigned a mandate to advise the General Assembly on programs aimed at enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination without external interference, the right to national independence and sovereignty, and the right to return to their homes and property from which they were displaced. The committee's mandate is periodically renewed.