UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Displacement in Occupied West Bank

Strategic Insights -

The United Nations has sounded the alarm over a sharp increase in mass displacement in the occupied West Bank, labeling it the most severe since Israel's occupation began nearly six decades ago. The UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) spokesperson, Juliette Touma, described the ongoing Israeli military operation as the longest since the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, forcing tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that the mass forced displacement may amount to 'ethnic cleansing,' citing alarming figures of home demolitions and settler attacks.

Key Takeaways:

  • The UN has reported that tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes in the occupied West Bank, with around 30,000 remaining displaced since January.
  • Israeli forces have issued demolition orders for approximately 1,400 homes in the northern West Bank, displacing 2,907 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank since October 2023.
  • Israeli settlers have carried out 757 attacks in the occupied West Bank during the first half of the year, resulting in 96 injured Palestinians in June alone, the highest monthly toll in over two decades.
  • Since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, at least 964 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to United Nations data.
  • The cumulative outcome of these actions has been the emptying of large parts of the West Bank of Palestinians, constituting an unlawful transfer of population and potentially 'ethnic cleansing' and a crime against humanity.

Statistics:

  • 30,000 Palestinians remain forcibly displaced since January in the occupied West Bank.
  • 1,400 homes in the northern West Bank have been issued demolition orders, displacing 2,907 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank since October 2023.
  • Israeli settlers have carried out 757 attacks in the occupied West Bank during the first half of the year, resulting in 96 injured Palestinians in June alone.
  • At least 964 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
  • 2,400 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, have been displaced due to attacks by Israeli colonists.

Sources:

  • Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA - English
  • UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)
  • Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
  • United Nations data on the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.