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Israeli forces demolish a two-storey Palestinian-owned building, claiming it lacked a permit, during a military raid in the city of Nablus, located in the West Bank on February 17, 2026. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]
The United Nations has warned of “ethnic cleansing” committed by Israel in the occupied West Bank, citing the displacement of more than 36,000 Palestinians over the past year.
In a report released on Tuesday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the scale of displacement represents “forced displacement on an unprecedented scale”, raising concerns about a coordinated policy of mass transfer.
The report stated that the developments suggest efforts aimed at permanent displacement of Palestinians from parts of the occupied territories.
It also documented a sharp rise in Israeli settler violence, recording 1,732 attacks causing injuries or property damage in the past 12 months, compared with 1,400 incidents in the previous period.
According to the report, these attacks have included intimidation, destruction of homes, and damage to agricultural land, contributing to worsening living conditions for Palestinian communities.
The UN described the violence as “coordinated, strategic and widespread”, adding that it often occurs with near-total impunity. It also stated that Israeli authorities play a “pivotal role” in enabling or facilitating such actions.
The report highlighted a significant escalation during the olive harvest season in October, when 42 attacks injured 131 Palestinians, including women and children — the highest monthly toll recorded since 2006.
It added that increasing restrictions on farmers’ access to their land, alongside the involvement of armed settlers and soldiers, have made the most recent harvest season the worst in decades.
The UN called on Israeli authorities to immediately halt settlement expansion and take steps to prevent further displacement and violence, warning that continued developments could further destabilise the situation in the occupied West Bank.
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Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cNKBW5LLMlsDonald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying only 9 days ago that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9dn3j04lydo
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A child who survived the attack is seen as funeral prayers are held in the town of Tamun, north of Tubas, West Bank, for Ali Khalid Sayil Beni Awda (37), his wife Vaad Osman Akil Beni Awda (35), and their children Mohammed (5) and Osman (7), who lost their lives after Israeli soldiers opened fire on their car while they were returning from the city of Nablus where they had gone to buy Eid al-Fitr clothes for their children ahead of the holiday, on March 15, 2026. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]
As the US-Israel war on Iran escalates, violence in the occupied West Bank is intensifying, largely out of the global spotlight, Anadolu reports.
Rights groups and analysts say Palestinians are facing a sharp rise in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers, alongside tighter movement restrictions and growing displacement, as international attention shifts toward the wider regional conflict.
Recent incidents have underscored the worsening situation. Israeli settlers were reported to have sexually assaulted a Palestinian man in the northern Jordan Valley, while Israeli forces killed a family of four, including two children, in the town of Tammun.
Analysts say the escalation has accelerated since US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran began on Feb. 28, triggering a broader regional war.
“The Israeli government took advantage of the situation in the region by unleashing the settlers to attack Palestinian properties, homes and lives,” said Mohamad Alqeeq, a Ramallah-based Palestinian political analyst and writer.
Max Rodenbeck, Israel-Palestine director at the International Crisis Group, pointed out that settler violence had “already been growing” before the Iran war, “ever since the current Israeli government took office in December 2022.”
Just like Israel’s war on Gaza, the Iran conflict has diverted media attention, creating conditions that allow settlement expansion to accelerate, he said.
Along with the shift in focus, security measures imposed by Israel “due to wartime conditions also help, by confining Palestinians to their towns, villages or homes while allowing settlers to roam freely,” Rodenbeck added.
– Damning data
Between Feb. 28 and March 14, Israeli forces and settlers killed at least 13 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Eight were shot by Israeli forces, including two minors, while five were killed by settler militias.
In a briefing to foreign diplomats on Tuesday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin warned that illegal Israeli settlers have been attacking Palestinians and their properties every day, including killings, assaults, arson attacks and destruction of agricultural land, “under the direct protection of the Israeli army.”
At the same time, Israeli forces have intensified raids and arrests across the Palestinian territory.
Rights groups have documented pre-dawn operations in areas including Qalqilya, Ramallah, Hebron and East Jerusalem, where dozens of Palestinians were detained in a single night. In another raid in Askar refugee camp, several people were injured and others arrested.
UN officials also say that Israeli security forces have carried out daily raids since Feb. 28, detaining at least 200 Palestinians, including on charges such as “incitement” or “glorification of the enemy” through social media posts.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 1,062 Palestinians, including at least 231 children, were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between Oct. 7, 2023 and March 7 this year.
– Restrictions and displacement
Beyond direct violence, Palestinians are facing a widening set of Israeli restrictions affecting daily life, including curbs on movement and closures of religious sites.
UN agencies said movement restrictions have intensified across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since Feb. 28, limiting access to work, health care and essential services.
“In particular, increased access restrictions across the West Bank hindered the ability of ambulances and fire brigades to move between villages, hospitals, and service centers,” UN OCHA said.
Between Feb. 28 and March 3, the agency documented nine incidents in which ambulances were obstructed and held at gunpoint.
Delays and closures have also caused shortages of fuel, including cooking gas, it added.
Access to religious sites has also been restricted. Israeli authorities have limited Muslim worshippers’ access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, a move denounced by rights groups as “a clear violation of freedom of worship.”
At the same time, demolitions of Palestinian homes have increased. The Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights reported that Israel demolished 312 residential and agricultural structures in the first six weeks of 2026 alone.
Ajith Sunghay, head of UN Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said at least nine Palestinian communities have been fully or partially displaced since Feb. 28, mostly in the northern Jordan Valley.
A separate UN report published on Tuesday found that more than 36,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced between November 2024 and October 2025 due to increasing violence by Israeli security forces and settlers.
– Expansion under cover of war
Analysts say the current wave of violence comes alongside broader efforts by Israel to expand administrative and legal control over Palestinian land.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Shahin said Israeli authorities are using regional crises to accelerate settlement expansion and annexation.
She said the international community’s focus on wider conflicts has allowed Israel to push forward policies aimed at consolidating permanent control over the occupied West Bank.
Analyst Alqeeq agreed with her assessment, saying Israel “took advantage of the US military buildup in the region” to accelerate its plans to annex more land, including by increasing military operations and greenlighting settler attacks.
Crisis Group expert Rodenbeck said the situation is being driven not only by policy decisions but also by a broader climate of impunity for settler violence.
“Enabling Israeli measures include distributing weapons to settlers, loosening rules for weapons licensing, gifting vehicles (including quad bikes) to settlers, legalizing previously ‘illegal’ settlement outposts, allowing settlers to wear military uniforms, lifting the Israeli army’s right to detain settlers … failing to prosecute settlers, and extremely lenient sentences for settler crimes. That is just a quick, partial list.”
He emphasized that Palestinians “are being treated as an enemy population, and collectively punished.”
“Palestinians are already being ethnically cleansed from large parts of the West Bank, and squeezed into ever-smaller, more isolated pockets,” Rodenbeck said.
“Current Israeli policy offers no future to the West Bank’s 3.3 million Palestinians except deepening repression. It is a recipe for disaster, but just what kind of disaster we do not know.”
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Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cNKBW5LLMlsDonald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying only 9 days ago that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9dn3j04lydo
Ellie Chowns, Green Party MP for North Herefordshire. CC image Wikipedia.
Responding to recent international developments in the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, Dr Ellie Chowns, leader of the Parliamentary Green Party, said:
“Just weeks ago we saw Trump and Netanyahu launch illegal strikes against Iran in the midst of ongoing negotiations, endangering countless civilian lives and dragging the entire surrounding region into chaos. Despite the clear human cost of this flagrant breach of international law, the UK Government did not condemn the initial attacks made by the US and Israel. On the contrary, Keir Starmer has continued to stress Britian’s allyship with these two nations – and in allowing the US to use UK military bases for ‘defensive’ action, has risked dragging the UK further into an illegal war.
“The US and Israel have continuously flouted international law with apparent impunity. Whether concerning Israel’s genocide in Gaza and illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank or the US’s unilateral attacks on Venezuela in the name of oil imperialism, the UK Government has refused to pursue appropriate action against these nations for breaching international law or to re-evaluate their status as allies to Britain.
“This permissiveness has not tempered the two countries. Following the strikes on Iran, Israel has expanded their ground campaign in Lebanon, displacing a million people throughout the country and seemingly preparing for prolonged occupation of southern Lebanon. Trump has intensified his threats against Cuba following the collapse of the island nation’s energy grid under a US-imposed oil blockade, declaring just yesterday that he believes he will ‘take’ the country and ‘could do anything [he] want[s] with it.’
“This cannot continue. The Green Party calls on the UK Government to make clear to Trump and Netanyahu the UK will not accept breaches of international law, to withdraw permission for the US to use UK military bases, and to refuse any further complicity in this illegal war. Furthermore, we reiterate our calls for the UK to halt all arms sales to and military cooperation with the Israeli Government, to drive independent investigations into war crimes committed and support justice mechanisms for victims, and to impose sanctions on government officials responsible for breaches of international law.”
Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Starmer said it here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Jeremy Corbyn takes part in a Palestine Coalition march in central London, January 31, 2026
JEREMY Corbyn asked Sir Keir Starmer today if he will co-operate with any investigation into British complicity in war crimes following the publication of the Gaza Tribunal Report.
The former Labour leader wrote to the PM, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and former foreign secretary David Lammy after the tribunal found ministers should face investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for failing to prevent a genocide in Gaza.
The letter urged the government to end all military co-operation with Israel as well as impose economic sanctions and suspend its trade agreement with the state.
The tribunal calls for a full investigation by the ICC into Britain’s actions in response to the conflict, as well as an independent public inquiry into any co-operation between Britain and Israel since October 2023.
It says that Britain was complicit in Israel’s actions, which a UN commission found to have constituted a genocide last year.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Starmer said it here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Lawyer slams prosecution on final day Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal and Stop the War Coalition vice-chair Chris Nineham’s trial
Lawyer slams prosecution on final day Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal and Stop the War Coalition vice-chair Chris Nineham’s trial
THE Crown’s case against two leaders of the Palestine movement was called a “ludicrous invitation to criminalise legitimate protected political speech about the misuse of state power against people’s civil liberties” today.
Defence barrister Mark Summers KC castigated the prosecution on the final day of the trial of Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal and Stop the War Coalition vice-chair Chris Nineham at Westminster magistrates’ court.
He described their actions in the run up to the January 18 2025 Palestine protest as nothing more than those of civic organisations engaging in political campaigning in a democracy.
…
Officers in the control room and on the ground were in complete ignorance of the plan for a “flower delegation” to walk towards the BBC to lay flowers, even though it had been announced by Mr Jamal from the stage.
If stopped by police, the delegation would lay the flowers at their feet.
This Mr Summers said was a “sensible, symbolic proposal” and could only have succeeded with police permission.
He said: “From beginning to end, events had been a humourless Ealing comedy. At no point did either side understand the intentions of the other.”
At the police cordons the delegation believed they had been permitted to walk through police lines.
In footage from a police body-worn camera, not previously disclosed by the prosecution, an officer was heard telling the delegation: “You’ve got to filter through. Filter, Take your time getting through.”
Mr Summers asked: “Why would it occur to them that they were being instructed by the police to do something unlawful?”
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Keir Starmer explains that UK is participating defensively in Trump and Israel’s criminal war for Israel’s genocidal expansion in Iran and states that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Starmer said it here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Jeremy Corbyn takes part in a Palestine Coalition march in central London, January 31, 2026