UN Chief warns Israeli violence in West Bank raises 'specter of ethnic cleansing'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that Israeli violence, forced displacement and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank are undermining prospects for peace and raising the “specter of ethnic cleansing.”

Addressing the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Guterres said Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territory were “bulldozing the path to peace,” stressing that the so-called two-state solution must not be allowed to disappear.

“Violence, displacement and settlement expansion by Israel in the occupied West Bank are bulldozing the path to peace and raising the specter of ethnic cleansing,” he said.

Guterres also warned that the devastating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories must not be overshadowed by the wider conflicts engulfing the West Asia region.

Referring to the October 7, 2023 al-Aqsa operation by Palestinian resistance groups, he said it was followed by a brutal Israeli military assault on Gaza, resulting in a scale of killing and destruction unlike anything he had witnessed during his tenure as UN secretary-general.

“But what followed was an onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza with a scale of killing and destruction unlike anything I’ve witnessed in my years as secretary-general,” he said.

Guterres also pointed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which issued provisional measures in the case concerning the application of the Genocide Convention in Gaza, stressing that all parties must comply with international law and the court’s orders.

In July 2024, the ICJ issued a landmark advisory opinion declaring Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1967 unlawful and finding that its settlement policy violates international law.

ICJ recent ruling against Israel mandates Palestinian return to 1967 lands: Legal experts

Legal experts say the ‘landmark’ opinion issued on Friday by the ICJ necessitates Israel to facilitate the return of Palestinians to their lands occupied by the Zionist regime since 1967.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the UN chief called for the United Nations to be allowed to carry out its mandated work in the besieged Gaza Strip and for UN personnel and humanitarian workers to be protected.

Guterres urged world leaders to use the General Assembly’s high-level week to pursue de-escalation, stressing the need to end Israel’s military campaign and ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.

He said the international community must send a clear message that the violence must end and that humanitarian access and fundamental rights must be upheld in accordance with international law.

Guterres’s remarks came amid continued international concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as Israel’s settlement expansion and military operations across the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a recent statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Israel’s decades-long occupation, terrorism, violations of international law and “unprecedented crimes” in the occupied Palestinian territories have dealt severe blows to the credibility and standing of the United Nations and international law.

The ministry also expressed deep concern over continued Israeli crimes against Palestinians, particularly genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

It said the international community has a responsibility to take serious and decisive action to halt the genocide of Palestinians.

The remarks came as Israeli forces continued strikes on Gaza despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreed in October 2025.

According to the latest figures reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israeli attacks have killed at least 73,914 Palestinians and wounded 174,958 others since Israel launched its genocidal war on the territory on October 7, 2023.

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