GENEVA: The UN rights chief cautioned on Friday that the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories amounts to “a war crime” and undermines the prospects of a viable Palestinian state.
Volker Turk said that there had been a significant surge in illegal Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank amid ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Describing the creation and expansion of settlements as the transfer of Israeli civilians into occupied territories, Turk said that such actions constitute war crimes, potentially leading to individual criminal liability.
According to Turk’s report to the UN Human Rights Council, reported Israeli plans to construct 3,476 settler homes in West Bank colonies of Maale Adumim, Efrat, and Kedar violate international law.
Israel’s seizure of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war is illegal under international law, which prohibits Israel from establishing settlements in these Palestinian territories.
Despite international opposition, Israel has built numerous settlements across the West Bank over the past decades, housing over 490,000 Israelis alongside approximately three million Palestinians.
The recent approval for new homes came shortly after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that settlement expansion would hinder prospects for lasting peace with the Palestinians.
Turk’s report revealed that between November 2022 and October 2023, around 24,300 housing units were added to existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, marking a record-high increase since monitoring began in 2017. This includes nearly 9,700 units in East Jerusalem.
The report concluded that Israeli government policies align closely with the goals of the settler movement to solidify control over the West Bank and integrate the occupied territory into Israel.
