HAMILTON, Canada
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned attacks by Israeli occupiers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank.
"I can tell you that the Secretary General condemns the recent attacks by Israeli occupiers against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank," Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a news conference.
Noting that "these near-daily attacks by Israeli settlers have become increasingly severe, resulting in deaths, injuries, significant property damage," he said such attacks have also displaced entire communities at times.
"The Secretary General reiterates that Israeli settlements and related infrastructure have no legal validity," Dujarric said, stressing that they are also "in flagrant violation of international law, including applicable UN resolutions."
Calling for "an urgent de-escalation of the alarming situation in the occupied West Bank and an end to attacks on civilians and their property," Dujarric said the UN chief also urged Israel to implement concrete measures to reverse the current trajectory in the occupied West Bank.
Dujarric reminded that Israel, as the occupying power, bears the responsibility of protecting the Palestinian population and must hold those responsible to account.
Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, attacks by Israeli forces and occupiers in the West Bank have killed 1,133 Palestinians, injured about 11,700 others, and led to the arrest of roughly 22,000 people.
In February alone, illegal settlers carried out 511 attacks across the West Bank, killing seven Palestinians by gunfire, according to official Palestinian figures.
Earlier, in a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.