A United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights report warned on Tuesday that the Israeli government has accelerated the illegal settlement expansion and annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in a year from November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2025. This has led to settler violence and the forced displacement of over 36,000 Palestinians, while violence from Israeli security forces and settlers is increasing.
“Settler violence continued in a coordinated, strategic and largely unchallenged manner, with Israeli authorities playing the central role in directing, participating in or enabling this behavior,” the report said. The High Commissioner for Human Rights warned: “The displacement in the occupied West Bank … by the Israeli military appears to indicate a concerted Israeli policy of forcible mass relocation throughout the occupied territory, aimed at permanent displacement and raising concerns about ethnic cleansing.”
According to the report, the drastic escalation of settler violence continued to go unpunished by the Israeli authorities. Pervasive and persistent impunity prevents the implementation of an effective solution to reduce settler violence and remains a major factor in facilitating and encouraging ongoing violence against and harassment of Palestinians.
Furthermore, the Israeli authorities are attempting to evade responsibility by implementing policies and measures to make the annexation of the occupied West Bank territory irreversible. Israeli actions to formally and informally support the militarization of the settler movement increased the severity of settler violence against Palestinians and made it extremely difficult to distinguish between cases of settler violence and cases of state violence.
The report concluded that the Israeli military’s transfer of power to civilian authorities and measures to confiscate Palestinian land for settlement expansion amounted to “an institutionalized regime of systematic discrimination, oppression and violence by Israel against Palestinians” and violated international law’s prohibition of racial segregation and apartheid.
According to the report, member states’ efforts to end and prevent Israeli settler violence through sanctions have been largely ineffective:
Sanctions previously imposed by the United States were lifted on January 20, 2025, while sanctions imposed by other states were primarily targeted at individual settlers rather than affiliated entities or organizations, reducing the ability of such measures to address widespread, concerted settler violence. Sanctioned individuals have often circumvented restrictions by transferring assets or receiving financial support from settlement networks.
In October 2025, There were 42 settler attacks 131 Palestinians injuredthe highest total recorded in a single month since 2006. The report also found that gender-based violence was a factor contributing to displacement. “Other attacks resulted in family separation, with women and children forced to leave the country, while male family members stayed behind and attempted to retain ownership of land and property.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, calls on Israel to “immediately and completely halt and reverse settlement construction and expansion, evacuate all settlers and end the occupation of Palestinian territories.”
