GENEVA, March 17 - A report released by the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday said the Israeli government has accelerated the expansion of unlawful settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displacing more than 36,000 Palestinians amid escalating violence by Israeli security forces and settlers.
Xinhua reported that the document, covering November 1, 2024, to October 31, 2025, recorded 1,732 incidents of settler violence causing casualties or property damage, up from 1,400 in the previous reporting period.
It also revealed that these incidents included persistent harassment, intimidation, and the destruction of Palestinian homes and farmland.
"Settler violence continued in a coordinated, strategic and largely unchallenged manner, with Israeli authorities playing the central role in directing, participating in or enabling this conduct," said the report.
It noted that the displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank has occurred alongside the large-scale displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, indicating that Israel may be implementing an organised "policy of mass forcible transfer" across the Palestinian territory, aimed at permanently displacing the Palestinian population, which raises "concerns of ethnic cleansing."
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Israel to immediately halt the establishment and expansion of settlements, evacuate all settlers, and end its occupation of the Palestinian territory.
