AhlulBayt News Agency: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) issued a warning on Wednesday about the sharp rise in settler violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank, stating that these developments are causing the forced displacement of Palestinians and paving the way for the territory’s de facto annexation.
Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, posted on X that the growing number of settler attacks and expanding settlements have “forced vulnerable Palestinian communities to leave their lands under increasingly coercive conditions.”
Friedrich warned that “the surge in Israeli settler violence, settlement growth, demolitions, and evictions has led to the displacement of Palestinians, setting the stage for further annexation.”
He pointed to ongoing displacement and destruction in the northern West Bank, specifically citing the evacuation of refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams, where residents have been barred from returning. These actions followed a large-scale Israeli military operation launched on January 21.
Friedrich also condemned Israel’s anti-UNRWA legislation, which has resulted in the closure of UN-run schools and the effective expulsion of international staff, further restricting the agency’s operations in the occupied territories.
He rejected the notion that “relieving pressure on Gaza through a ceasefire should be used to tighten Israeli control elsewhere,” affirming that “UNRWA has remained present throughout the escalation to continue delivering services, as it has during previous crises.”
The UN official emphasized that “the futures of Gaza and the West Bank are deeply connected,” and said the agency “is prepared to work with all parties toward a comprehensive solution that could establish peace and stability across Palestine, the region, and for generations to come.”
These remarks come amid intensified Israeli military operations in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. Palestinian sources report that at least 1,056 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 10,000 injured, and over 20,000 arrested—including 1,600 children.
Earlier today, Israel’s Knesset passed two preliminary bills aimed at extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and Ma’ale Adumim, despite international objections and growing diplomatic pressure to halt such actions.
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