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United Nations chief Guterres has called for an end to “serious violations” of international law, amid rising violence.
Published on 27 Jul 2026
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has criticized Israel’s plans to advance the development of the people living in the West Bank.
Guterres said in a statement released on Monday that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories are “illegitimate” and are a “gross violation” of international law. His criticism comes amid escalating violence in the West Bank and Israel’s plans to register existing settlements and establish new ones.
Guterres said the settlement remains a major obstacle to a two-state solution and a “stable, lasting and comprehensive peace” between Israel and Palestine.
The secretary-general’s statement builds on repeated warnings by the UN and its allies on Israel’s settlement policy in recent months. These organizations have called for people to be protected and those who have committed crimes to be held accountable in accordance with international human rights and human rights laws.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his government is “advancing the legalization of land and establishing new ones” in the occupied West Bank.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law, which was reaffirmed in a 2024 Supreme Court advisory opinion that found Israel’s continued occupation of Palestine illegal.
Foreign settlements are small settlements, which are often established without government approval and are therefore illegal under Israeli law, too.
Since Thursday, at least eight Palestinians, including a child, as well as two Israelis, have been killed in violence in the West Bank. Israeli settlers, often under the protection of the Israeli army, burned or destroyed Palestinian weapons, government land, and agricultural buildings. At least 10 Palestinian families have been displaced.
As of Saturday, Israeli forces or residents have killed 77 Palestinians this year, including 18 children, while three Israelis were killed by Palestinians during the same period.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recorded more than 1,330 humanitarian incidents involving injuries or damage to property since January.
Israeli forces have also imposed restrictions on Palestinian movement across the region, cutting off thousands of people from emergency medical care and livelihoods, according to OCHA.
In February, Guterres criticized Israel’s decision to resume land registration in the West Bank, which human rights groups say will boost settlement expansion.
At the beginning of this month, United Nations officials also warned that the increase in violence against the people living in the West Bank is happening in parallel with the increase in Israeli violence in Gaza, while the number of refugees and civilian casualties are increasing on both sides.
