UN report warns of ‘ethnic cleansing’ as over 36,000 Palestinians displaced in a year due to Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence.
GENEVA: The United Nations has urged Israel to immediately halt its dramatic settlement expansion in the West Bank. A new UN rights office report raises concerns of “ethnic cleansing” after over 36,000 Palestinians were displaced in a single year.
The report, covering the 12 months to October 31, 2025, warns Israel’s accelerating expansion of unlawful settlements is driving “unprecedented” displacement. It states this represents the mass expulsion of Palestinians on a scale previously unseen.
“The displacement of more than 36,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank represented the mass expulsion of Palestinians on a scale previously unseen, amounting to unlawful transfer that is prohibited under international humanitarian law,” the report said. Alongside displacement in Gaza, it indicates a concerted Israeli policy of mass forcible transfer.
The report pointed to the advancement or approval of 36,973 settlement housing units in occupied East Jerusalem and around 27,200 in the rest of the West Bank. An unprecedented 84 settlement outposts were also established, bringing the total to more than 300.
More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law. Violence in the territory has risen sharply since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack triggered the Gaza war.
The UN documented 1,732 incidents of settler violence resulting in casualties or property damage. This compares to 1,400 incidents during the previous 12-month period.
“Settler violence continued in a coordinated, strategic and largely unchallenged manner, with Israeli authorities playing the central role,” the report said. UN rights chief Volker Turk called on Israel to “immediately and completely cease and reverse the establishment and expansion of settlements”.
He also urged “the evacuation (of) all settlers, and an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territory”. The report stressed that unlawful transfer constitutes a war crime and may also amount to a crime against humanity.
According to an AFP tally, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,045 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began. Official Israeli figures say 45 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during military operations.
The Sun Malaysia
