Newsletters
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned what he called the "relentless" expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, warning that the territory is experiencing its worst displacement crisis since 1967.
In a quarterly report on the West Bank, Guterres said a surge in settler outposts was driving an upsurge in violence and cutting Palestinians off from their land.
The developments, he wrote, "fuel tensions, further entrench the unlawful Israeli occupation, undermine the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and threaten the viability of a fully independent, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian State."
The report arrived ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on the West Bank, where five European members of the council jointly condemned settlement activity.
Guterres singled out Israeli plans to build in the so-called E1 area of the West Bank, warning that new construction there would effectively cut off the northern and southern portions of the territory from each other. Such a move, he said, would constitute "an existential threat to the two-State solution."
The E1 corridor, located east of Jerusalem, has long been considered a flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, as development there would complicate the geographic contiguity of any future Palestinian state.
The secretary-general's report also took direct aim at what it described as impunity surrounding settler violence, noting that attacks on Palestinians frequently occur in the presence of, or with the active support of, Israeli security forces.
Demolitions, access restrictions and prolonged military operations have compounded the crisis, Guterres said, resulting in displacement on a scale unseen in the West Bank since the aftermath of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
Israel captured the West Bank, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, during that conflict. International law regards Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal, a position Israel disputes.
France, Britain, Greece, Latvia and Denmark issued a joint statement calling on Israel to halt its settlement expansion and restore accountability for violence against Palestinians.
France's UN envoy, Jerome Bonnafont, said the five nations were pressing the Israeli government to "ensure accountability for settler violence and investigate allegations against Israeli troops."
The condemnation from European Security Council members reflects growing diplomatic pressure over Israeli settlement policy, even as the broader conflict in Gaza continues to dominate international attention.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
