The United Nations affirmed that Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Syrian Golan constitute a violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions, also noting that the forcible displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank may amount to war crimes.
The findings were presented in a report by the UN Secretary-General on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan. The report was delivered by Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris before the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly, which addresses special political issues and decolonization.
Kehris stressed that Israel’s continued efforts to double the number of settlers in the occupied Syrian Golan represent a breach of international law and UN resolutions. She cited ongoing incursions by Israeli forces into the Golan’s separation zone since the fall of the “defunct regime.”
On the situation in the West Bank, Kehris stated that the ongoing forcible transfer of Palestinians, alongside Israel’s transfer of parts of its own population into occupied territory, is altering the character and demographic composition of the West Bank. She warned that such actions may constitute war crimes and, under certain conditions, crimes against humanity.
Kehris noted that a prerequisite for ensuring Palestinians’ right to self-determination is the end of Israel’s unlawful occupation. She added that Israel continues to entrench its annexation policies and to depopulate large areas of the territory.
By the end of May, she reported, the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank had reached approximately 737,000 across 165 settlements and 271 outposts, including 55 outposts established during the reporting period—an alarming indicator of settlement expansion. She also highlighted that an average of 366 Palestinians were forcibly displaced each month due to demolitions, compared with 244 in the previous reporting period.
The report recalled UN Security Council Resolution 2334 of December 2016, which reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory since 1967 and called for an immediate halt to settlement activity.
Amer Dhswa
