UN chief urges Israel to 'immediately halt all settlement activity'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the expansion of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including West Bank, poses a major obstacle to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“I reiterate my call on Israel to immediately halt all settlement activity, which is a major obstacle to the achievement of the [so-called] two-state solution, and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace,” Guterres said at the 2021 Opening Session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on Thursday.

He said the primary duty of the committee is “to end the occupation and realize a two-state solution on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, in line with international law, relevant United Nations resolutions, and bilateral agreements.”

Hamas: Israel's demolitions in Jordan Valley amount to ethnic cleansing

Hamas says the Israeli army’s demolition of homes and displacement of families in the occupied northern Jordan Valley amounts to ethnic cleansing.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

According to human rights groups, acts of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property are a daily occurrence throughout the occupied West Bank.

The UN chief called on the parties involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “to refrain from unilateral acts that can jeopardize the possibility of restarting the peace process.”

Israeli troops attack Palestinian protest against settlements

Israeli troops attack Palestinians during another round of anti-settlement protests in the occupied West Bank.

Guterres also pointed to the coronavirus pandemic across the Palestinian territories, stressing that the COVID-19 outbreak “has had a severe impact on Palestinians, particularly in Gaza.”

“The public health system has been pushed to the brink due to the occupation and the fragile socio-economic, humanitarian, and political situation,” the UN secretary general pointed out.

Israel’s blockade of Gaza worsening coronavirus crisis, study warns

‘Israel’s blockade has devastated the economy in Gaza, and this is having a major impact on the ability of people to comply with lockdown measures.’

“The Special Coordinator continues to encourage Israel to help address the priority needs of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – and to support COVID-19 vaccine availability more generally, which is in line with Israel’s obligations under international law,” Guterres said.

Biden urged to hold Israel accountable  

A left-wing Jewish advocacy group on Thursday called on the administration of new US President Joe Biden to ensure that no US-built weapons, funding or equipment are used in Israeli demolitions of Palestinian communities.

J Street, in a statement on Thursday, asked Biden to investigate and determine whether US-sourced arms were used to demolish Palestinian homes in the small Bedouin village of Khirbet Humsa in the Jordan Valley of the occupied West Bank earlier this week, and whether such a use violated the Arms Export Control Act (AECA).

“This demolition is just the latest example of Israel’s systematic policy of de facto annexation of sensitive areas of occupied territory - a policy that includes demolitions, evictions and destructive military training operations on Palestinian lands, all of which have taken place in just the two weeks since the new president's inauguration,” it said. 

Dawn demolition in West Bank: Israel razes more Palestinian property

The ‘Umm Qusah’ mosque was under construction south of al-Khalil.

J Street stressed that if the Biden administration were serious about its support for the so-called two-state solution, it should investigate such incidents and “make clear to Israel that US-sourced defense articles, as well as any material purchased with US Foreign Military Financing funds, may not be used in such operations.”

Palestinian hamlet razed for second time in 3 months

On Wednesday night, Israeli bulldozers flanked by military forces, demolished Khirbet Humsa which lies close to the West Bank city of Tubas, rendering around 74 Palestinians — including 41 children — homeless, according to Israeli rights group B'Tselem.

Some 130 inhabitants vowed to stay, with some sleeping on mattresses with plastic tarpaulins strewn on the rocky soil after the demolition. 

International observers visited the area the following day, finding destroyed tents, smashed solar panels and broken water tanks.  

The destruction was the second time in three months. The village was demolished for the first time on November 3 last year.

The demolition was remarkable for its scale and the fact it was the first time such a major development had taken place during the Biden presidency. 

The Palestinian Authority condemned the move, with Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Fatah deputy chief Mohammad al-Aloul visiting the hamlet on Thursday.

Shtayyeh pledged “every form of moral and material support” to ensure that the Palestinian residents could stay.

“This is the ugliest form of occupation…to replace our people with settlers and colonists, who will defile this pure land,” the Palestinian prime minister said while visiting the site.

The Jordan Valley is in Area C of the West Bank and the Israeli regime retains full control over it. Palestinians living in the area face severe restrictions on planning, building and access to natural resources. 

Israeli authorities assert that Palestinians violate the law and engage in construction in illegal areas, while Palestinians argue that Israel does not issue them permits or legalize existing villages.

Israeli forces displaced almost 1,000 Palestinians via home demolitions and destroyed 847 structures in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds in 2020, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

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