UN chief says Israel’s West Bank policy is dooming two-state solution

Israel’s policy toward the West Bank is dooming any prospect of a two-state solution with the Palestinians, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says.

Violence and arrests have soared in the territory since the Gaza war erupted after Hamas’s October 7 attacks.

Through administrative and legal steps, Israel is changing the geography of the West Bank, Guterres says in a statement read by his chief of staff, Courtenay Rattray, during a meeting of the Security Council.

Settlement expansion is expected to speed up due to big land seizures in strategic areas and changes to planning, land management and governance, Guterres adds.

“Recent developments are driving a stake through the heart of any prospect for a two-state solution,” says the UN chief.

He says Israel is taking steps to extend sovereignty over the West Bank.

Guterres notes that Israel has taken punitive steps against the Palestinian Authority and legalized five Israeli outposts in the West Bank.

“We must change course. All settlement activity must cease immediately,” Guterres says.

Guterres repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of all hostages.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is a moral stain on us all,” Guterres said.