GAZA,(The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned on Wednesday that the alarming escalation in settler violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank is leading to the forced displacement of Palestinians and setting the stage for the de facto annexation of the territory.
Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, stated in a post on X that the increasing settler attacks and expanding settlements have “pushed vulnerable Palestinian communities to abandon their lands under increasingly coercive conditions.”
Friedrich cautioned that “the rise in Israeli settler violence, settlement expansion, demolitions, and evictions has resulted in the forced displacement of Palestinians, paving the way for further annexation.”
He highlighted that forced displacement and destruction continue in the northern West Bank, pointing specifically to the evacuation of refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams, with residents barred from returning. These events followed a wide-scale military operation launched by Israeli forces on January 21.
Friedrich also emphasized that “Israel’s anti-UNRWA legislation has led to the closure of UN schools and the effective expulsion of international staff,” referencing increasing restrictions on the agency’s operations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
He firmly rejected the idea that “easing pressure on Gaza under a ceasefire agreement should be used as an opportunity to tighten Israeli control elsewhere,” asserting that “UNRWA has remained on the ground throughout this escalation to continue delivering its services—just as it has done during past crises.”
The UN official stressed that “the future of Gaza and the West Bank is interconnected,” noting that the agency “is ready to work with all parties to achieve a comprehensive outcome that could lay the foundation for peace and stability across the Palestinian territories, the region, and for future generations.”
These comments come amid a sharp escalation in Israeli military operations in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. According to Palestinian sources, at least 1,056 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 10,000 injured, and over 20,000 arrested, including 1,600 children.
Earlier today, Israel’s Knesset passed two preliminary bills aiming to impose Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and Ma’ale Adumim, despite diplomatic objections and mounting international pressure to halt such measures.
