The U.N. human rights office released a report on Friday stating that the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem are considered a war crime. The report, covering the period from Nov. 1, 2022, to Oct. 31, 2023, highlighted a significant increase in the advancement of roughly 24,300 housing units in existing settlements in the West Bank, marking the highest number in a year since monitoring began in 2017.
The report expressed concern over the surge in the construction of new settlement homes in recent months, with U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk warning that such actions could jeopardize the possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state. Türk presented the report to the Human Rights Council, condemning Israel's reported plans to build nearly 3,500 settler homes in three areas as a violation of international law.
