UN rights chief says settlement expansion constitutes ‘a war crime’, blocks Palestinian state

Expanding settlements in the West Bank constitutes “a war crime” and risks eliminating “any practical possibility” of a viable Palestinian state, the UN rights chief warns.

Volker Turk tells the UN Human Rights Council that establishing and continuing to expand settlements amounted to the transfer by Israel of its own civilian population into occupied territories, which “amount to a war crime” under international law.

The comments come after Israel earlier this week advanced plans for 3,426 new homes to be build beyond the Green Line.

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