Construction on the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the West Bank, February 29, 2024. Photo: AFP/VNA

In his report to the UNHRC, Turk said “The West Bank is already in crisis. Yet, settler violence and settlement-related violations have reached shocking new levels, and risk eliminating any practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian State.”

The report highlights the dramatic increase in the intensity, severity and regularity of Israeli settler and state violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, particularly since 7 October, 2023, which is accelerating Palestinians’ displacement from their land.

The size of existing Israeli settlements has expanded markedly, says the report which covers the period from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023. About 24,300 housing units within existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank were advanced during this period, the highest on record since monitoring began in 2017. This included approximately 9,670 units in East Jerusalem.

According to international law, Israel's establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory is illegal. However, in recent decades, Israel has built many settlements across the West Bank, where more than 490,000 Israelis are living, in addition to about 3 million Palestinians.