Palestinians say the escalation is intended to pave the way for Israel’s annexation of the occupied West Bank, which they argue would effectively end prospects for a two-state solution envisioned in UN resolutions.
More than 1,110 Palestinians have been killed, about 11,500 wounded and over 21,000 arrested in the occupied West Bank during this period, according to official Palestinian figures.
About 750,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in hundreds of settlements across the occupied West Bank, including around 250,000 in the occupied East Jerusalem, figures Palestinian officials cite as evidence of daily settler violence aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians.
For decades, the Palestinian Authority has urged the international community to pressure Israel to end settlement expansion, which the United Nations deems illegal, warning that any formal annexation of the West Bank would end prospects for a two-state solution envisioned in UN resolutions.
In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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