UN Says Over 36,000 Palestinians Displaced in West Bank by Israeli Settlement Expansion
Report documents ‘unprecedented’ forcible transfer, raising concerns of ‘ethnic cleansing’ amid escalating settler violence
GENEVA — March 18, 2026 — More than 36,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank were forcibly displaced over a 12-month period due to Israel’s accelerated settlement expansion and associated violence by security forces and settlers, the UN Human Rights Office said in a report released Tuesday, warning that the scale and pattern of displacement raised concerns of “ethnic cleansing” .
The report, covering the period from 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025, documented “unprecedented” levels of displacement driven by the expansion of unlawful settlements and the annexation of large parts of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem . According to the UN, the displacement of more than 36,000 Palestinians represented “the mass expulsion of Palestinians on a scale previously unseen, amounting to unlawful transfer that is prohibited under international humanitarian law” .
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Coordinated Settler Violence and State Involvement
The report documented 1,732 incidents of settler violence resulting in casualties or property damage during the reporting period, a sharp increase from 1,400 incidents in the previous 12 months . These incidents included persistent harassment, intimidation, and the destruction of Palestinian homes and farmland .
“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 conduct,” the report stated, making it difficult to distinguish between State and settler violence . The report noted that longstanding and pervasive impunity was “facilitating and encouraging violence against and harassment of Palestinians” .
Last October, during the olive harvest, the report documented 42 settler attacks leading to the injury of 131 Palestinians, including 14 women and a boy—the highest number recorded in a single month since 2006 . Daily attacks by armed settlers, soldiers and “settler soldiers”—many of whom have been armed, equipped and trained by State authorities—along with the closure of more land to Palestinian landowners and harvesters made the 2025 season the worst in decades .
Settlement Expansion at Unprecedented Pace
The report pointed to the advancement or approval by Israeli authorities of nearly 37,000 housing units in settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and approximately 27,200 in the rest of the West Bank during the reporting period . An unprecedented 84 new settlement outposts were also established, bringing the total number of outposts to more than 300 .
The report also noted the expansion of settlement activity into Area B of the occupied West Bank, which according to the Oslo agreements falls under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority . In addition to roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law .
Pattern Suggests ‘Concerted Policy’ of Forcible Transfer
The report drew particular attention to the heightened risk of displacement faced by thousands of Palestinians from Bedouin communities located northeast of East Jerusalem due to the advancement of settlement plans .
Significantly, the UN found that the displacement in the West Bank coincided with “the extensive displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, at the hands of the Israeli military” . This parallel displacement, the report said, “appears to indicate a concerted Israeli policy of mass forcible transfer throughout the occupied territory, aimed at permanent displacement, raising concerns of ethnic cleansing” .
The report noted that in some cases, acts of gender-based violence became the final trigger for displacement . Other attacks led to family separation in which women and children were forced to leave, while male family members remained to attempt to retain possession of lands and properties .
War Crime Implications and International Law
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk emphasized that “the unlawful transfer of protected persons constitutes a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, constituting a war crime” . The report noted that such acts potentially incur the individual criminal responsibility of officials engaged in them, and under certain circumstances, may also amount to a crime against humanity .
The report also concluded that the transfer of power from the Israeli military to civilian authorities, measures to confiscate Palestinian lands for settlement expansion, as well as other discriminatory policies and practices “amounted to an institutionalised regime of systematic discrimination, oppression and violence by Israel against Palestinians,” violating the international law prohibition of racial segregation and apartheid .
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Escalating Violence Since Regional Conflict
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war . According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,045 Palestinians—many of them militants but also scores of civilians—in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war . Official Israeli figures say that 45 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations over the same period .
There has also been a spike in deadly attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Iran war in late February, Palestinian authorities and the United Nations have said, with at least six Palestinians killed since the start of March .
UN Demands Immediate Action
Türk called on Israel to “immediately and completely cease and reverse the establishment and expansion of settlements,” to evacuate all settlers, and to end the occupation of the Palestinian territory . He insisted that Israel “must also enable the return of displaced Palestinians, and stop all practices of land confiscation, forced evictions and house demolitions” .
Israel’s permanent mission in Geneva, where the UN office is based, said it was working on a response to the report . The mission has previously dismissed UN reports on Israeli actions, stating last month that the UN Human Rights Office had lost its credibility . Israel disputes the view that its settlements are unlawful, citing biblical and historical ties to the land .
Regional Context and Ongoing Displacement
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported separately that in the West Bank, increased movement restrictions and violent attacks continue to cause displacement and damage, with the risk of falling debris following missile interceptions adding to civilian dangers . New figures indicate that more than 180 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler attacks and access restrictions across the West Bank since the onset of the regional escalation in late February, bringing the total number of Palestinians displaced within this context so far this year to more than 1,500 people—90 per cent of the number for all of last year . OCHA noted that more than 40 per cent of those displaced are children, and that displacement deepens people’s reliance on humanitarian support and is often associated with loss of livelihoods .
SOURCES / INPUTS
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