SAFA – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed deep concern over Israeli plans to accelerate the legalization of settlement outposts and establish new ones across the occupied West Bank, warning that such actions violate international law and further undermine prospects for peace.

Speaking Monday, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said Guterres was "deeply concerned" by recent Israeli announcements to fast-track the legalization of farm outposts and establish additional ones. He reiterated the United Nations' longstanding position that all Israeli settlements, including outposts, have no legal validity and constitute a "flagrant violation of international law."

Haq said continued settlement expansion remains a major obstacle to achieving a two-state solution and a just and lasting peace. His remarks came amid a sharp rise in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property across the occupied West Bank.

The United Nations also warned of a deteriorating security situation, reporting that eight Palestinians and two Israelis have been killed since Thursday. According to Haq, homes, mosques, and agricultural land have been vandalized or set on fire during attacks by Israeli settlers.

Since the beginning of 2026, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has documented more than 1,330 incidents involving Israeli settlers that resulted in casualties or damage to Palestinian property. As of Saturday, 77 Palestinians, including 18 children, had been killed by Israeli occupation forces or settlers this year.

Approximately 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 156 settlements and around 360 settlement outposts across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. According to official Palestinian figures, Israeli occupation forces and settlers have killed at least 1,182 Palestinians, injured thousands more, and detained around 24,000 others in the occupied West Bank since October 2023.

The United Nations continues to recognize the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, as occupied Palestinian territory and maintains that all Israeli settlement activity there is illegal under international law.