Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782796375489HMBWHVoa0AAmxt3 (5).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A Palestinian man looks at olive trees reportedly uprooted by Israeli soldiers using a bulldozer in the occupied West Bank village of Al-Mughayyir, north of Ramallah, on August 24, 2025.<em> Zain Jaafar, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>UNITED NATIONS, United States — UN chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the &quot;relentless&quot; expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying in a report seen Monday by AFP they are contributing to the territory&#x27;s worst displacement crisis since 1967.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/8/24/israeli-bulldozers-uproot-hundreds-of-trees-in-west-bank-village-0153">Israeli bulldozers uproot hundreds of trees in West Bank village</a></div><p>The secretary-general, in a quarterly report on the West Bank, said an increase in settler outposts was leading to an upsurge in violence and restricting Palestinians&#x27; access to their land.</p><p>&quot;These developments fuel tensions, further entrench the unlawful Israeli occupation, undermine the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and threaten the viability of a fully independent, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian State,&quot; Guterres said.</p><p>He specifically warned against Israeli plans to develop in the so-called E1 area of the West Bank, saying new settlements &quot;would effectively sever the connection between the northern and southern West Bank.&quot;</p><p>&quot;As such, it would have severe consequences for the territorial contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and present an existential threat to the two-State solution,&quot; Guterres said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/10/21/palestinian-farmers-face-grim-harvest-2204">Palestinian farmers face grim harvest</a></div><p>The report also denounced impunity towards violence by Israeli settlers, pointing out it often occurs in the presence of—or with the support of—Israeli security forces.</p><p>&quot;Settler violence, access restrictions, demolitions and prolonged security operations have intensified in recent years, resulting in the largest displacement crisis in the West Bank since 1967,&quot; Guterres said.</p><p>In a joint statement ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on the West Bank, five European members of the council—France, Britain, Greece, Latvia and Denmark—condemned settlement activity.</p><p>&quot;We call on the Israeli Government to end its expansion of settlements and administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence and investigate allegations against Israeli forces,&quot; France&#x27;s UN envoy Jerome Bonnafont said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0daeaAnDrgA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z9rWtDbVPMw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>UN chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the "relentless" expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying in a report seen Monday by AFP they are contributing to the territory's worst displacement crisis since 1967.</p>

UN chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the "relentless" expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying in a report seen Monday by AFP they are contributing to the territory's worst displacement crisis since 1967.

UN chief slams 'relentless' Israeli settlement expansion

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UN chief slams 'relentless' Israeli settlement expansion

Agence France-Presse

Published June 30, 2026 01:18 PM PHT

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