New York, Aug 11 (Petra) — The United Nations warned Tuesday that
the situation in the West Bank has reached a “critical juncture” as
violence, displacement, and settlement expansion continue to
escalate.

Addressing a United Nations Security Council session on the situation
in the West Bank, Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N. deputy special
coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said the deterioration
did not happen abruptly but is the result of decades of unresolved
conflict that has entrenched Israeli occupation, pushed the
Palestinian Authority to the brink of collapse, and undermined the
prospects of a viable, sovereign, and independent Palestinian state.

“This year, more than 76 Palestinians have been killed in the West
Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, including 18 children, while 127
Palestinian communities have suffered complete or partial
displacement since January 2023, including 47 communities that were
fully displaced, affecting more than 6,390 Palestinians,” Alakbarov
said.

He noted that nearly 3,800 Palestinians, almost half of them
children, have been displaced this year due to settler violence,
demolitions, and evictions, adding that “settler violence has reached
unprecedented levels.”

Alakbarov stated that the U.N. has documented more than 1,430
incidents this year involving Israeli settlers that resulted in
casualties, property damage, or both, affecting nearly 260
Palestinian communities.

//Petra// AF