The United Nations human rights chief, Volter Turk, said on Friday that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories have expanded by a record number.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that the development risks eliminating any practical possibility of a Palestinian state. He argued that the growth of the Israeli settlements amounted to the transfer by Israel of its own population. He also reiterated that the actions constituted a war crime.
Israeli Settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory
Last month, the administration of United States President Joe Biden said that the Israeli settlements were "inconsistent" with international law. This was after Jerusalem announced new housing plans in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement accompanying the report, Turk said that settler violence and settlement-related violations have reached shocking new levels. The report on the matter will be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva in late March.
On the other hand, Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva said that the new report should have also included the deaths of 36 Israelis that occurred in 2023. It said in a statement that human rights are universal but claimed that the office of the high commissioner ignored Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism again and again, according to Reuters.
The 16-page report, which was based on the UN's own monitoring as well as several other sources, documented 24,300 new Israeli housing units that were built in the occupied West Bank. These were constructed during a one-year period through to end-October 2023. It noted that this was the highest expansion on record since monitoring started in 2017.
It also noted that there had been a dramatic rise in the intensity, severity, and regularity of both Israeli settler and state violence against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory. This is particularly true since the deadly Hamas militant attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
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Alleged Counter-Terrorism Operations
After that assault, more than 400 Palestinians have lost their lives after being killed by Israeli security forces or by settlers. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and claimed a biblical birthright to the land. The country's military added that it conducted counter-terrorism operations in the region and is targeting suspected militants.
The UN report noted that the policies of the current Israeli government appeared to be aligned with the goals of the Israeli settler movement. This seeks to expand long-term control over the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, said the Office of the High Commissioner of United Nations Human Rights.
Turk noted that the efforts also run in contrast to the views of a broad range of States laid out during hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) two weeks ago. His remarks were referring to the hearings that were examining the legal consequences of Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The situation comes after the Israeli government advanced plans to build 3,400 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank. Roughly 70% of the planned homes will be constructed in Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem. The rest will be built in nearby Kedar and Efrat, south of Bethlehem, according to BBC.
