Settlement Expansion and Humanitarian Crisis Intensify
A senior UN official has warned that violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has reached an “alarming rate.” Ramiz Alakbarov, deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the UN Security Council that daily attacks—often occurring in the presence of Israeli forces—are causing casualties, property damage, and displacement.
Between December 2025 and March 2026, Israeli authorities advanced or approved over 6,000 housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Alakbarov condemned this “relentless settlement expansion,” saying it undermines Palestinian access to land and threatens the viability of a contiguous Palestinian state.
He also highlighted demolitions, evictions, and movement restrictions, warning of forcible transfer risks. Concerns were raised over Palestinians held in administrative detention without trial, with reports of torture, ill-treatment, and deaths in custody.
On Gaza, Alakbarov described the ceasefire as “highly fragile,” noting continued Israeli strikes and the displacement of 1.4 million people in overcrowded conditions. Severe shortages of clean water, medical care, and shelter persist, while limited aid has entered through Karem Shalom.
He urged Israel to stop withholding Palestinian clearance revenues, warning that punitive fiscal measures are destabilizing institutions and threatening the Palestinian Authority’s viability.
Source: AA
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