UN Says Violence and Annexation in West Bank Getting Worse

Illustration of Israeli soldiers checking Palestinians in the West Bank. (Wikimedia Commons/Justin McIntosh)

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday said that two years after the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Palestine was illegal, settler violence and annexation of territory "worsened."

The U.N. human rights office said that with attacks by Israeli settlers and the construction of outposts "reaching an all-time high," countries must act to end the occupation.

"We are concerned by the Israeli government's announcement to further increase the number of settlements and outposts, and the open call by Israeli leaders for revenge and collective punishment against the Palestinian community, accompanied by threats to turn the West Bank into another Gaza," said spokeswoman for the human rights office Ravina Shamdasani in a statement, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (29/7).

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the Gaza war began with Hamas's offensive against Israel on October 7, 2023.

The West Bank has witnessed near-daily attacks by Israeli settlers and routine raids on Palestinian villages.

In a sweeping, non-binding "advisory opinion" issued in July 2024, the U.N. top court said Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian territory was "illegal."

Israel "is obliged to end its illegal presence as soon as possible," said presiding judge Nawaf Salam.

Shamdasani said that since last Thursday, eight Palestinians, including a boy, as well as two Israeli military members have been killed in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967.

"Israeli settlers and security forces, who often act together, have attacked local communities, attacked families, destroyed and confiscated property, and burned mosques," he explained.

"Movement restrictions are now tighter, preventing Palestinians from accessing essential services," Shamdasani said.

Last Friday, deadly clashes occurred between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the village of Tell, killing four Palestinians and two Israelis.

The Israeli military then stormed Nablus and several nearby towns, announcing the arrest of dozens of Palestinians as they launched what they called a "counterterrorism" operation in the West Bank.

On Sunday night, Palestinian officials said Israeli settlers burned two mosques.

"With the attacks by Israeli settlers, and the construction of settlements and outposts, which reached an all-time high, third countries must act immediately and together to stop the ongoing killings and land confiscation of the Palestinian people, and to end the Israeli occupation," Shamdasani said.

The comments came after Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, warned the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that the situation in the West Bank was "rapidly deteriorating."

It is known that since the latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, at least 1,097 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, according to Palestinian data.

Meanwhile, official Israeli data shows that at least 48 Israelis, both civilians and security personnel, have been killed in attacks by Palestinians or during Israeli military operations.

Excluding annexed East Jerusalem, some three million Palestinians live in the West Bank alongside more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are illegal under international law.