UN chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the "relentless" expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying in a report seen on Monday by AFP that they are contributing to the territory's worst displacement crisis since 1967.
The secretary-general, in a quarterly report on the occupied West Bank, said an increase in settler outposts was leading to an upsurge in violence and restricting Palestinians' access to their land.
"These developments fuel tensions, further entrench the unlawful Israeli occupation, undermine the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and threaten the viability of a fully independent, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian State," Guterres said.
He specifically warned against Israeli plans to develop in the so-called E1 area of the occupied West Bank, saying new settlements "would effectively sever the connection between the northern and southern West Bank."
"As such, it would have severe consequences for the territorial contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and present an existential threat to the two-State solution," Guterres said.
Largest displacement
The report also denounced impunity towards violence by Israeli settlers, pointing out that it often occurs in the presence of — or with the support of — Israeli security forces.
"Settler violence, access restrictions, demolitions and prolonged security operations have intensified in recent years, resulting in the largest displacement crisis in the [occupied] West Bank since 1967," Guterres said.
In a joint statement ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on the occupied West Bank, five European members of the council — France, Britain, Greece, Latvia and Denmark — condemned settlement activity.
"We call on the Israeli Government to end its expansion of settlements and administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence and investigate allegations against Israeli forces," France's UN envoy Jerome Bonnafont said.
