Chicago – March 08, 2024
Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory have grown to unprecedented proportions, threatening the viability of a Palestinian state, according to the United Nations human rights head on Friday.
Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that the expansion of Israeli settlements amounted to Israel transferring its population, which he referred to as a war crime. Following Israel’s announcement of new housing plans in the occupied West Bank last month, the Biden administration declared the settlements were “inconsistent” with international law.
“Settler violence and settlement-related violations have reached shocking new levels and risk eliminating any practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian State,” Turkish officials said in a statement.
The 16-page report, based on U.N. surveillance and other sources, verified 24,300 new Israeli housing units in the occupied West Bank over one year ending in October 2023, the largest number since monitoring began in 2017.
It also stated that Israeli settler and state violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank had increased dramatically, particularly following the devastating Hamas strikes on Israel on October 7.
