GENEVA, March 17 (Xinhua) -- A report released on Tuesday by the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights 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.
The report, which covers the period from Nov. 1, 2024 to Oct. 31, 2025, documented 1,732 incidents of settler violence resulting in casualties or property damage, up from 1,400 in the previous reporting period.
According to the report, 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.
The report 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 organized "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 Turk urged Israel to immediately halt the establishment and expansion of settlements, evacuate all settlers and end its occupation of the Palestinian territory. ■
