Israeli settlements in West Bank face new UN condemnation
Antonio Guterres said Israel’s settlement expansion plans violate international law as West Bank violence and displacement rise.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank after Israel announced plans to speed up the legalisation of outposts and create new ones. His statement matters because the UN says settlement expansion is illegal under international law and further weakens prospects for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
In a statement released Monday, Guterres said Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory have no legal standing and amount to a serious breach of international law. He said the policy remains a major barrier to a two-state solution and to a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The criticism followed comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Friday that his government would accelerate the legalisation of farm outposts and the establishment of new ones in the West Bank.
Are Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal?
The UN says all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law. Outposts are smaller settlements usually built without state approval, making them illegal under Israeli law as well, according to Al Jazeera.
The International Court of Justice reaffirmed the UN position in a 2024 advisory opinion, finding that Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territory was unlawful. Israel has continued to dispute international criticism of its settlement policies.
Guterres’s statement came as the UN has issued repeated warnings about settlement activity and violence in the West Bank. The UN and partner agencies have also called for civilians to be protected and for perpetrators to face accountability under international humanitarian and human rights law.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has described the situation as an escalating crisis linked to settler violence. OCHA said Israeli forces have tightened movement restrictions across the West Bank, cutting thousands of Palestinians off from emergency medical care and from their livelihoods.
Since Thursday, at least eight Palestinians, including one child, and two Israelis have been killed, according to Al Jazeera. Palestinian civilian infrastructure, public areas and agricultural structures have been burned or vandalised, and at least 10 Palestinian families have been displaced.
OCHA has documented more than 1,330 settler-related incidents involving casualties or property damage since January. As of Saturday, Israeli forces or settlers had killed 77 Palestinians this year, including 18 children, while three Israelis were killed by Palestinians over the same period, according to Al Jazeera.
The latest statement also follows Guterres’s February criticism of Israel’s decision to restart land registration processes in the West Bank. Rights groups said at the time that the move would further entrench settlement expansion.
UN officials warned earlier this month that rising settler violence in the West Bank was taking place alongside intensified Israeli attacks in Gaza, with displacement and civilian casualties increasing in both areas.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.