Amman, March 17 (Petra) – The United Nations on Tuesday urged Israel to immediately halt the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, warning that it is heightening concerns of "ethnic cleansing" as more than 36,000 Palestinians have been displaced over one year.

A new report issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, covering 12 months up to Oct. 31, 2025, warned that Israel’s acceleration of illegal settlement expansion and the annexation of large parts of the West Bank is causing displacement on an "unprecedented scale."

The report said that "the displacement of more than 36,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank (over 12 months) constitutes the forcible transfer of Palestinians on an unprecedented scale... and appears to indicate a coordinated Israeli policy of mass forcible transfer across the occupied territory, aimed at permanent displacement, raising concerns of ethnic cleansing."

It added that Israeli authorities have advanced or approved the construction of 36,973 housing units in settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and around 27,200 in the rest of the West Bank.

The report noted that "84 new settlement outposts were established in the occupied West Bank during the reporting period, an unprecedented number, bringing the total to more than 300," according to the report.

//Petra// AF

17/03/2026 21:36:44