UN slams Israel’s expansion of illegal settlements in occupied West Bank

UN main Guterres says settlements a ‘flagrant violation’ of planetary law, amid escalating violence.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Israeli plans to accelerate the improvement of settlements successful the occupied West Bank.

Guterres said successful a connection released connected Monday that Israeli settlements successful the Palestinian territory person “no ineligible validity” and represent a “flagrant violation” of planetary law. His disapproval comes amid escalating unit successful the West Bank arsenic good arsenic Israeli plans to legalise existing outposts and found caller ones.

Guterres said the settlements stay a large obstacle to a two-state solution and to a “just, lasting and broad peace” betwixt Israelis and Palestinians.

The secretary-general’s connection builds connected repeated UN and spouse bureau warnings implicit Israeli colony argumentation successful caller months. The organisations person called for civilian extortion and accountability for perpetrators nether planetary humanitarian and quality rights law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said connected Friday that his authorities would beryllium “accelerating the legalisation of workplace outposts and constitution of caller ones” successful the occupied West Bank.

All Israeli settlements successful the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are amerciable nether planetary law, a presumption reaffirmed successful a 2024 International Court of Justice advisory sentiment that recovered Israel’s continued concern of Palestinian territory unlawful.

Outposts are tiny settlements, usually established without authorities support and truthful amerciable nether Israeli law, too.

Since Thursday, astatine slightest 8 Palestinians, including a child, arsenic good arsenic 2 Israelis, person been killed amid the unit successful the occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers, often nether the extortion of Israeli forces, burned oregon vandalised Palestinian civilian infrastructure, nationalist spaces, and cultivation structures. At slightest 10 Palestinian families person been displaced.

As of Saturday, Israeli forces oregon settlers had killed 77 Palestinians this year, including 18 children, portion 3 Israelis were killed by Palestinians implicit the aforesaid period.

Israeli service bulldozers demolish a Palestinian gathering successful the West Bank colony of Anza, July 27, 2026 [Majdi Mohammed/AP]

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has documented much than 1,330 settler-related incidents involving casualties oregon spot harm since January.

Israeli forces person besides tightened restrictions connected Palestinian question crossed the territory, cutting disconnected thousands of radical from exigency aesculapian attraction and their livelihoods, according to OCHA.

In February, Guterres criticised Israel’s determination to resume onshore registration processes successful the West Bank, a determination rights groups said would further entrench colony expansion.

Earlier this month, UN officials besides warned that the surge successful settler unit crossed the West Bank was unfolding successful parallel with intensifying Israeli attacks successful Gaza, arsenic displacement and civilian casualties mounted connected some fronts.