<\/p>\n
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said Israeli settlers and Israeli security forces have \u201coften\u201d acted together during attacks on Palestinian communities, while the Israeli Government continues to approve new settlements and outposts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As of July 24, OHCHR said 76 Palestinians and one Israeli had been killed this year in settler attacks. Since Friday, eight Palestinians, including a boy, and two members of the Israeli military have also been killed in the West Bank.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said settler attacks have increased each year since 2023. OCHA recorded 1 835 settler attacks last year, while about 190 attacks per month were reported during the first four months of 2026.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At the current rate, the West Bank could record more than 2 000 settler attacks by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said movement restrictions imposed on Palestinians have also intensified, making it harder for communities to access essential services. \u201cWe are alarmed by the Israeli Government\u2019s announcement to further increase the number of settlements and outposts and open calls by Israeli leaders for revenge and collective punishment against Palestinian communities, accompanied by threats to turn the West Bank into another Gaza,\u201d Shamdasani said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov described the continued loss of life as \u201cdeeply alarming\u201d. \u201cThere is no military or violent solution to this conflict,\u201d Alakbarov said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alakbarov urged Israel to hold perpetrators accountable and called on all parties to support a two-State solution.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The warning comes two years after the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion that Israel\u2019s occupation of Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank since 1967 is illegal. Israel rejected the ruling.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alakbarov also told the UN Security Council that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had announced the approval of several new settlements, which Alakbarov said are \u201cillegal under international law\u201d. \u201cI call upon all parties to take urgent steps to reverse the dangerous trajectory in the West Bank,\u201d Alakbarov said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On Monday, Israeli forces forcibly entered a UN facility in East Jerusalem where Palestinian refugees receive vocational training. The UN and partners condemned the raid, saying the action violated international law.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Shamdasani called on other countries to act collectively to end the violence and dispossession. \u201cWith attacks by Israeli settlers, and the creation of settlements and outposts hitting an all-time high, third States must act urgently and in unison to halt the continuing killing and dispossession of the Palestinian people,\u201d Shamdasani said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":41068,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-41067","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The United Nations (UN) has warned that violence in the occupied West Bank is worsening as Israeli settlement activity and attacks on Palestinian communities increase.","published_date":"","news_description":"The United Nations (UN) has warned that violence in the occupied West Bank is worsening as Israeli settlement activity and attacks on Palestinian communities increase.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41069,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41067\/revisions\/41069"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=41067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}