UN Calls for Halt to West Bank Settlement Expansion Amid Rising Tensions
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, a UN official has reported to the Security Council a surge in Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, leading to heightened tensions and obstructing the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state.
Ramez Al-Akbarov, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, stated in a video report from occupied Jerusalem that settler attacks have become “more frequent and violent.” He emphasized that continued settlement expansion hinders Palestinian access to their lands and threatens the possibility of a sovereign, geographically connected Palestinian state.
Al-Akbarov noted that Israeli settlement construction has reached its highest level since the UN began monitoring in 2017. He called on Tel Aviv to adhere to its obligations under international law.
He also referenced the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion from July 2024, which requires Israel to cease all new settlement activities, evacuate settlers, and “immediately end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
The UN official reported that Israeli actions in the West Bank have resulted in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries, widespread displacement, and significant destruction, particularly in refugee camps. He added that the presence of Israeli forces in Palestinian camps is inconsistent with obligations to end the illegal occupation.
Al-Akbarov condemned settler attacks, noting their increased frequency and violence, often with the presence or support of Israeli security forces, especially during the olive harvest season. He stressed the need to prevent these attacks, punish the perpetrators, and ensure safe access for Palestinian farmers to their lands.
Reports indicate that since the start of the “genocide” by the occupying regime in the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, Israel has intensified its efforts to annex the West Bank, including demolishing Palestinian homes, displacing residents, and expanding settlements.
According to Palestinian statistics, since that time, the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have killed at least 1,097 Palestinians, injured approximately 11,000, and detained over 21,000.
During the same Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East and the Palestinian issue, Algerian representative Amar Ben Jamaa stated that “Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza continues.” He called on the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza to take responsibility for Israel’s ceasefire violations.
Ben Jamaa added that Israeli forces “continue their movements and bombings, as if the ceasefire obligates everyone except the Israeli occupying regime.” He told Security Council members that it is “clear and painful that the Israeli occupier enjoys immunity in this council.”
Reports indicate that the occupying regime of Israel continues to refuse to implement its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, which has been in effect since October 10, and has committed hundreds of ceasefire violations, including bombings, shootings, and explosions, resulting in the deaths of 391 Palestinians and injuries to 1,063 others.
The genocidal war of the Israeli regime in Gaza, which began on October 8, 2023, with US support and lasted for two years, left more than 70,000 martyrs and over 171,000 injured, mostly women and children, and destroyed 90 percent of civilian infrastructure.
