The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has raised alarm over the significant expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Turk emphasized that the continued growth of these settlements poses a severe threat to the possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state.
He reiterated the stance that such expansion amounts to a violation of international law and constitutes a war crime.
The report, set to be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, highlights a record increase in new Israeli housing units in the occupied West Bank. This surge, documented over a one-year period ending in October 2023, reflects the highest level of expansion since monitoring began in 2017.
Moreover, the report underscores a disturbing rise in settler violence and state violence against Palestinians, particularly following deadly Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023. This violence has resulted in the deaths of more than 400 Palestinians by Israeli security forces or settlers.
Israel, which claims a biblical birthright to the land it occupies, justifies its actions as counter-terrorism measures in the West Bank.
However, Turk’s report points out that the policies of Israel’s current government, which includes religious nationalists with close ties to settlers, align closely with the objectives of the Israeli settler movement.
The report also highlights cases of settlers engaging in violent acts against Palestinians while wearing Israeli army uniforms and carrying army rifles, blurring the lines between settlers and military personnel. This exacerbates tensions and further complicates efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Despite renewed international focus on a two-state solution following the Gaza war, little progress has been made towards Palestinian statehood. The expansion of settlements remains a significant obstacle to this goal, as underscored by the UN report.
