UN warns of possible ethnic cleansing od Palestinians in West Bank

The United Nations has raised alarm over what it describes as an increasingly uncompromising expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning of the risk of possible ethnic cleansing amid the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians.

According to a new report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, led by Volker Türk, more than 36,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced between the beginning of the year and the end of October. The report documents a sharp acceleration in settlement construction and a widening footprint of Israeli-controlled areas across large parts of the West Bank, France24 reports.

The UN Human Rights Office said the trend has intensified in recent months, describing the settlement expansion as “more uncompromising” and expressing concern over its humanitarian and legal implications. 

Guy Poran, a former Israeli Air Force pilot and human rights activist who volunteers with the Israeli peace group Mistaclim, told France 24 that attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have sharply increased over the past two years. He alleged that such violence often occurs with the tacit backing of the Israeli military.

By Sabina Mammadli