Headlines
UN Says More Than 36,000 Palestinians Displaced by Israeli Settlement Drive
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 17, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 17, 2026
Quick Summary
More than 36,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced in the West Bank during the year to Oct 31, 2025, amid intensified Israeli settlement expansion, settler violence, and home demolitions, prompting UN warnings of possible ethnic cleansing.
UN Reports Over 36,000 Palestinians Displaced by Israeli Settlement Expansion
UN Report Details Displacement and Settlement Expansion in the West Bank
Extent of Displacement and Settlement Activity
BERLIN, March 17 (Reuters) - More than 36,000 Palestinians in the West Bank were forcibly displaced over a year by Israeli settlement expansion and associated violence, the U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday.
The United Nations said in a report covering 12 months to October 31, 2025, that Israel had accelerated the annexation of large parts of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The report cites monitoring and information gathering by the U.N.'s regional office, government sources and NGOs as its sources.
Israeli Response to UN Findings
Israel's permanent mission in Geneva, where the U.N. office is based, said it was working on a response to the report.
The mission had dismissed previous reports on Israeli actions and said last month that the U.N. human rights office had lost its credibility.
Background: West Bank Settlements and Legal Disputes
The West Bank, home to 2.7 million Palestinians, has long been central to plans for a future Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but successive Israeli governments have expanded settlements rapidly, fragmenting the land.
More than half a million Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and Israel disputes the view that its settlements are unlawful, citing biblical and historical ties to the land.
Increase in Settler Violence
The U.N. report said violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has also increased sharply since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
Statistics and Patterns of Attacks
Settler attacks rose to 1,732 incidents, from 1,400 in the previous reporting period, the report said.
Settler violence continued in "a coordinated, strategic and largely unchallenged manner," and Israeli authorities often enabled or participated in the attacks, it added.
Implications and International Concerns
The report said the scale and pattern of displacement, which coincides with extensive displacement in Gaza, suggested a concerted policy of mass forcible transfer.
This could amount to "ethnic cleansing", it said, echoing concerns in a report is issued last month.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray; Editing by Alexander Smith and Andrew Heavens)
Key Takeaways
- •Over 36,000 Palestinians displaced in West Bank from Nov 1, 2024 to Oct 31, 2025 due to settlement expansion and violence (UN) (apnews.com)
- •Settler violence surged: 1,732 attacks during reporting period, described as coordinated and often enabled by Israeli authorities (UN) (apnews.com)
- •UN report raises concerns of ‘concerted policy of mass forcible transfer’ possibly amounting to ethnic cleansing (apnews.com)
References
Frequently Asked Questions about UN says more than 36,000 Palestinians displaced by Israeli settlement drive
1How many Palestinians were displaced in the West Bank according to the UN?
More than 36,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced in the West Bank over the past year.
2What does the UN report say about Israeli settlement expansion?
The report states that Israel accelerated annexation and settlement building in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
3How has settler violence changed since the war in Gaza began?
Settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank rose to 1,732 incidents, up from 1,400 in the previous period, following the start of the war in Gaza.
4What sources did the UN human rights office use for its report?
The UN relied on monitoring by its regional office, government sources, and NGOs for its data.
5What did the UN suggest about the pattern of displacement in its report?
The report suggests the displacement pattern could amount to a policy of mass forcible transfer, possibly 'ethnic cleansing'.
