UN briefing: settler expansion and violence rising in West Bank; EU announces sanctions on settlers and Hamas figures

An agency official briefing the United Nations Security Council reported an escalating footprint of settlement planning and mounting settler-related violence in the West Bank, saying planning authorities advanced proposals for more than 640 housing units in Area C and more than 1,620 units in Pisgat Ze'ev (East Jerusalem).

The official said settler attacks have increased in frequency and severity, affecting roughly 220 Palestinian communities in 2023 and increasingly leading to displacement; during the reporting period five Palestinians, including two children, were killed by Israeli forces and 156 Palestinians, including 20 children, were injured, the speaker said. The official urged Israeli authorities to take "urgent and concrete steps" to stop intensifying attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.

The briefing noted that on 11 May the European Union announced sanctions on Israeli extremist settlers and entities as well as on leading Hamas figures. The speaker also reported incidents during the annual Jerusalem Day flag march that included acts of violence and racist chants and said there were apparent violations of the status quo at holy sites by some Israeli senior officials and Knesset members.

Separately, the official said the Israeli government approved establishing an IDF museum, a recruitment center and an office for the Israeli defense minister on the UNRWA compound in Sheikh Jarrah following earlier seizure and partial demolition; the Secretary-General strongly condemned that decision, the official reported.

The briefing closed by underscoring the need for accountability and for steps to prevent further displacement and violence in the West Bank.