UN Human Rights Office: Settlement Expansion Driving Mass Displacement in West Bank

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) published a major report concluding that Israel has accelerated unlawful settlement expansion and annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, forcibly displacing over 36,000 Palestinians. The report covers the 12-month period up to October 31, 2025, and documents 1,732 incidents of settler violence — up from 1,400 in the prior period. The OHCHR stated that '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.' The report raised concerns of ethnic cleansing and noted the displacement constitutes a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention. UN High Commissioner Volker Türk called on Israel to immediately halt and reverse settlement expansion. Israel rejected the findings, maintaining settlement activity is lawful.