NEW YORK: Violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank has reached record levels, with an average of six attacks daily causing casualties or damage, the UN said.
The number of such attacks this year has surpassed 1,000, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, citing the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Just last week, settler attacks resulted in the injury of more than 30 Palestinians and widespread damage to property, central infrastructure, as well as livelihoods,” Dujarric said.
“The current pace of settler attacks causing casualties or property damage, with an average of six incidents per day, is higher than any year on record,” he said.
More than 2,200 Palestinians have been displaced this year due to settler violence or access restrictions, while hundreds more have been displaced due to home demolitions by Israeli authorities, he said.
More than half a million Israelis live in the West Bank — excluding East Jerusalem, which has been annexed by Israel — in settlements deemed illegal by the UN under international law.
Three million Palestinians also live there.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
Violence has escalated in the West Bank during and since the Gaza war, which was triggered by an unprecedented attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups were meeting in France to urge the international community not to abandon a two-state solution, as Paris seeks to keep the issue alive amid the Middle East war.
Friday’s meeting, attended by foreign ministers and senior officials from dozens of countries, marks one year since the UN-backed New York Declaration, which set out a roadmap toward Palestinian statehood and prompted around a dozen countries, including France, Britain, and Canada, to recognize a Palestinian state.
“Given the current situation in the region, marked by seemingly endless conflicts, too many civilian casualties and a cycle of violence, and in light of the stalled implementation of the Gaza ceasefire ... we believe this conference is now more essential and urgent than ever,” France’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
