UN chief ‘deeply alarmed’ by Israel granting city status to illegal settlement in occupied West Bank

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply alarmed” by Israel’s decision to upgrade the illegal settlement of Givat Ze’ev to a city, his spokesperson said Thursday.

“The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed that the Israeli authorities have granted the status of a city to Givat Ze’ev, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, that is just northwest of Jerusalem,” spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a news conference.

Dujarric stressed that “this administrative designation does not alter Givat Ze’ev’s legal status under international law as part of the occupied Palestinian territory.”

“The secretary-general reiterates that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem and all related infrastructure, have no legal validity and are in flagrant violation of international law and all relevant UN resolutions,” noted Dujarric.

He added that “Israeli settlements remained a significant obstacle to achieving the two-state solution and a just, lasting, comprehensive peace.”

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Dujarric said the UN chief continues to urge Israel to cease all settlement expansion-related measures in line with Security Council resolutions.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric reported that Israeli occupier “attacks have become a leading cause of Palestinian injuries in the West Bank, accounting for 55% of all injuries in 2026. ”

“OCHA reiterates that Palestinians in the West Bank must be protected as required by international humanitarian law,” he said.

Around 500,000 Israeli occupiers live in illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, in addition to 250,000 living in settlements in occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now.

The UN has repeatedly affirmed that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law, warning that they undermine prospects for a two-state solution.​​​​​​​

Palestinians insist on East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s 1967 occupation or its 1980 annexation of the city.

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