UN Secretary-General António Guterres on July 27 condemned Israel's announcement of plans to accelerate the authorization of settlement outposts under Israeli domestic law in the occupied West Bank, warning that the move constitutes a "flagrant violation" of international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the measures July 24 following a clash that day that left four Palestinians and two Israeli settlers dead at the village of Tal, near Nablus. Mosques, farmland and vehicles were set afire during the settler attacks that sparked the clash.

Netanyahu ordered the establishment of new settler outposts and announced a process to "legalize" several existing outposts. He simultaneously announced new Israeli military operations on the West Bank. Hundreds have since been arrested in sweeps of Palestinian villages.

Guterres reiterated that all settlements, including so-called outposts, "have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law," calling them a major obstacle to achieving the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace. Israel disputes the international position that its West Bank settlements are illegal, maintaining that most are legal under its own domestic law.

In a separate statement, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) voiced alarm over escalating violence across the West Bank. Since last Thursday, at least eight Palestinians, including a child, have been killed and many others injured. At least 10 Palestinian families have been displaced.

OCHA also reported that Israeli forces have tightened restrictions on Palestinian movement across many areas of the West Bank, preventing thousands from accessing emergency medical care and other essential services. Since January, OCHA has documented more than 1,330 incidents involving Israeli settlers that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both. According to OCHA, Israeli forces or settlers killed 77 Palestinians this year as of July 25, of whom 18 were children, while three Israelis had been killed by Palestinians in the same period.

The UN, the International Court of Justice, and most of the international community consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank unlawful under international law. In a July 2024 advisory opinion, the ICJ ruled that Israel's settlements breach the Fourth Geneva Convention and that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful.

Guterres issued a similar warning in February after Israel announced a package of measures expanding Israeli authority in the West Bank, including the resumption of land registration; and in June, six governments announced sanctions targeting individuals enabling settler violence, following a similar move by the European Union. Human Rights Watch on July 24 also decried the settler violence at Tal. The UN and its partners have called for the urgent protection of civilians, strict respect for international humanitarian law, and accountability for perpetrators.

From JURIST, July 28. Used with permission.