{"id":272313,"date":"2026-02-03T19:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/272313\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T19:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:32:12","slug":"unlawful-israeli-e1-settlement-plan-would-sever-northern-southern-west-bank-warns-un-chief-middle-east-monitor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/272313\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Unlawful\u2019 Israeli E1 settlement plan would sever northern, southern West Bank, warns UN chief \u2013 Middle East Monitor"},"content":{"rendered":"

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned that Israel\u2019s \u201cunlawful\u201d plans to expand settlements in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank would sever its northern and southern parts and deal a serious blow to the two-state solution, Anadolu reports.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the occupied West Bank, relentless illegal settlement expansion, demolitions, displacement, and evictions are accelerating,\u201d Guterres said at the opening session of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP).<\/p>\n

Over 37,000 Palestinians were displaced in the West Bank in 2025 alone, a year that also saw record levels of Israeli settler violence, Guterres said, adding: \u201cThe recently published tender by Israel for 3,401 housing units in the E1 area \u2013 alongside continued demolitions \u2013 is profoundly alarming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf carried forward, it would sever the northern and southern West Bank, undermine territorial contiguity, and strike a severe blow to the viability of a two-state solution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Such actions, including Israel\u2019s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, are \u201cdeeply destabilizing\u201d and \u201cunlawful\u201d under international law, as recalled by the International Court of Justice, he said.<\/p>\n

Israeli operations in the West Bank have intensified since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, including killings, home demolitions, displacement of Palestinians and settlement expansion. Palestinians argue the escalation aims to pave the way for Israel\u2019s annexation of the West Bank, which they say would effectively end prospects for a two-state solution envisioned in UN resolutions.<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0West Bank sees \u2018silent war\u2019 amid record levels of Israeli violence: UNRWA chief<\/a><\/p>\n

More than 1,110 Palestinians have been killed, about 11,500 wounded, and over 21,000 arrested in the West Bank during this period, according to official Palestinian figures.<\/p>\n

The UN chief reaffirmed his support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), condemning laws adopted by the Israeli parliament that further impede the agency\u2019s ability to operate and carry out its mandate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also condemn in the strongest terms actions by Israeli authorities to demolish the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound in occupied East Jerusalem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Describing public threats by Israeli officials against UNRWA as \u201cutterly abhorrent,\u201d Guterres stressed that the threats \u201cmust be met with unequivocal repudiation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding the situation in Gaza, Guterres emphasized the continued \u201cgrave suffering\u201d of Palestinians and noted that \u201cmore than 500 Palestinians have been killed\u201d since the ceasefire deal in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cI urge all parties to implement the agreement in full, exercise maximum restraint, and comply with international law and UN resolutions,\u201d he said, while calling for \u201crapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief at scale \u2013 including through the Rafah crossing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crossing, the only one between Gaza and Egypt, reopened for limited traffic Monday after nearly two years of closure by Israel under strict conditions.<\/p>\n

Israel closed the Rafah crossing, a vital route for humanitarian aid and a main exit point for Palestinians seeking to leave Gaza, in May 2024, nearly nine months into its genocide in Gaza that began in October 2023.<\/p>\n

The relentless bombing has killed more than 71,000 people, injured over 171,000 others and reduced much of the enclave to rubble.<\/p>\n

He stressed that \u201cany sustainable solution in Gaza must be consistent with international law, and result in Gaza and the West Bank \u2013 including East Jerusalem \u2013 being governed by a unified, legitimate, and internationally recognized Palestinian Government.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGaza is and must remain an integral part of a Palestinian State,\u201d he affirmed.<\/p>\n

Guterres further pointed to the importance of the work of CEIRPP and said, \u201cThe occupation must end, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice. The inalienable rights of the Palestinian people must be realized.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Israeli prime minister signs deal to expand West Bank settlements under controversial E1 plan<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned that Israel\u2019s \u201cunlawful\u201d plans to expand settlements in the E1 area…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-272313","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}