jordan pulse -

The United Nations warned Tuesday that the situation in the West Bank has reached a "critical juncture" as violence, displacement, and settlement expansion continue to escalate.

Addressing a United Nations Security Council session on the situation in the West Bank, Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N. deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said the deterioration did not happen abruptly but is the result of decades of unresolved conflict that has entrenched Israeli occupation, pushed the Palestinian Authority to the brink of collapse, and undermined the prospects of a viable, sovereign, and independent Palestinian state.

"This year, more than 76 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, including 18 children, while 127 Palestinian communities have suffered complete or partial displacement since January 2023, including 47 communities that were fully displaced, affecting more than 6,390 Palestinians," Alakbarov said.

He noted that nearly 3,800 Palestinians, almost half of them children, have been displaced this year due to settler violence, demolitions, and evictions, adding that "settler violence has reached unprecedented levels." Alakbarov stated that the U.N. has documented more than 1,430 incidents this year involving Israeli settlers that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both, affecting nearly 260 Palestinian communities.

//Petra// AF