Geneva, July 29 (SANA) The United Nations on Wednesday condemned escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and expanding Israeli annexation measures in the occupied West Bank, two years after the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory illegal.
Speaking to AFP, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that attacks by Israeli settlers and the establishment of settlements and outposts had reached unprecedented levels.
“At a time when attacks by Israeli settlers and the establishment of settlements and outposts have reached unprecedented levels, other States must act urgently and collectively to stop the ongoing killings and dispossession of the Palestinian people and bring Israel’s occupation to an end,” Shamdasani said.
She added that the Office is concerned by the Israeli government’s announcement of additional settlements and outposts, as well as public calls by Israeli leaders for revenge and the imposition of collective punishment on Palestinian communities, accompanied by threats to turn the West Bank into “another Gaza.”
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued a non-binding advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal and stating that it must come to an end.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated on Tuesday that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank constitute a flagrant violation of international law and have no legal validity.
The occupied West Bank has witnessed a sharp escalation in Israeli military operations, settler attacks, home demolitions and land seizures since the start of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023.
T.S /Ruaa
