HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Friday warned of escalating displacement and violence in the occupied West Bank, citing high levels of illegal Israeli settler attacks and home demolitions.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Farhan Haq at a news conference said that "since the beginning of the year, more than 1,000 people have been displaced in Area C, which constitutes some 60% of the West Bank and where, just like in East Jerusalem, the Israeli authorities retained near exclusive control, including over law enforcement, planning and construction."

"Most of the people displaced had their homes demolished by Israeli authorities for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain," he said, stressing that "this level of displacement is the second highest annual record since 2009."

Haq also highlighted continuing illegal Israeli settler violence, and said that OCHA "continues to document high levels of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians with devastating humanitarian impacts since the start of the year," adding that "as of today, an average of five such attacks have been recorded each day."

Urging the protection of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Haq further called for measures that include "halting punitive and other unlawful demolitions and preventing attacks by settlers."