AhlulBayt News Agency: A new report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reveals that Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank has reached unprecedented levels this year, the highest since the UN began systematic monitoring in 2017.
In his report to the UN Security Council, Guterres stated that indicators of settlement growth peaked in 2024, marking the sharpest surge since monitoring began seven years ago.
The report noted that nearly 47,390 settlement housing units were advanced, approved, or tendered in 2024, compared to about 26,170 units in 2023. This represents a dramatic increase compared to the annual average of around 12,800 units between 2017 and 2022.
Guterres condemned the ongoing expansion of settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, warning that it heightens tensions, denies Palestinians access to their land, and undermines the possibility of a sovereign Palestinian state.
He stressed that settlement activity entrenches Israel’s unlawful occupation, violates international law, and infringes on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. He reiterated his demand for an immediate halt to all settlement construction.
The report highlighted that over 700,000 Israeli settlers currently reside in settlements across the West Bank, which the UN deems illegal under international law, alongside a Palestinian population of about three million. East Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel, was not included in this figure.
Guterres also voiced concern over the rise in settler violence, noting that attacks are sometimes carried out in the presence of or with support from Israeli security forces. He warned of worsening instability due to Israeli military operations that have killed many Palestinians, including women and children, and caused widespread displacement and destruction.
The report comes amid intensified Israeli military actions in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza genocide on October 7, 2023. Palestinian sources say more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since then.
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