UN says Israeli E1 settlement plan threatens Palestine future

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Israel's plans to expand settlements in the E1 area of the West Bank would sever its northern and southern parts and deal a serious blow to the two-state solution.

"The recently published tender by Israel for 3,401 housing units in the E1 area - alongside continued demolitions - is profoundly alarming," Guterres said.

According to him, in the occupied West Bank, relentless illegal settlement expansion, demolitions, displacement, and evictions are accelerating.

Over 37,000 Palestinians were displaced in the West Bank in 2025 alone, a year that also saw record levels of Israeli settler violence, the UN chief stressed.

"If carried forward, it would sever the northern and southern West Bank, undermine territorial contiguity, and strike a severe blow to the viability of a two-state solution," Guterres said.

Such actions, including Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, are "deeply destabilizing" and "unlawful" under international law, as recalled by the International Court of Justice, he said.