NewsJaber Jehad Badwan, CC BY-SA 4.0
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday condemned Israel’s announcement of plans to accelerate the authorization of settlement outposts under Israeli domestic law in the occupied West Bank, warning that the move constitutes a “flagrant violation” of international law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the measures on Friday following a deadly clash that left two Israelis and four Palestinians dead. Netanyahu ordered the establishment of new settler outposts and announced that the process to legalize existing farm outposts along with Israeli military operations in Palestinian villages would be accelerated.
Guterres reiterated that all settlements, including outposts, “have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law”, calling them a major obstacle to achieving the two-state solution and a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace. Israel disputes the international position that its West Bank settlements are illegal, arguing that most are legal under its own domestic law.
In a separate statement, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) voiced alarm over escalating violence across the West Bank. Since Thursday, at least eight Palestinians, including a child, and two Israelis have been killed and many others injured. Homes, mosques, trees, and agricultural structures have been set ablaze or destroyed, and at least 10 Palestinian families have been displaced.
OCHA also reported that Israeli forces have tightened restrictions on Palestinian movement across many areas of the West Bank, preventing thousands from accessing emergency medical care and other essential services. Since January, OCHA has documented more than 1,330 incidents involving Israeli settlers that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both. According to OCHA, Israeli forces or settlers had killed 77 Palestinians this year as of Saturday, including 18 of whom were children, while three Israelis had been killed by Palestinians in the same period.
The UN, the ICJ, and most of the international community consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank unlawful under international law. In a July 2024 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s settlements breach the Fourth Geneva Convention and that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful.
Monday’s warning is the latest in a series of UN statements over Israeli activity in the West Bank. Guterres issued a similar warning in February after Israel announced a package of measures expanding Israeli authority in the West Bank, including the resumption of land registration, and in June, six governments announced sanctions targeting individuals enabling settler violence. A rights group on Sunday also decried reprisal settler violence stemming from the same clashes. The UN and its partners have called for the urgent protection of civilians, strict respect for international humanitarian law, and accountability for perpetrators.
