Tue Jul 15 17:50:40 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary of the text and a rewritten version as a news article:
**Summary:**
A United Nations report, released on July 15, 2025, reveals alarming levels of displacement in the West Bank, reaching heights unseen since the beginning of Israel’s occupation in 1967. The report attributes the mass displacement primarily to an Israeli military operation, “Iron Wall,” launched in January in the northern West Bank, which has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians. The UN also highlights concerns about home demolitions, settler violence, and the potential for ethnic cleansing. The report details increases in settler attacks and injuries to Palestinians, noting a significant surge in violence since October 2023. The UN stresses that forcibly displacing the civilian population in occupied territory is illegal and could constitute ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
**News Article:**
**The Hindu: View From India – UN Warns of Mass Displacement in West Bank, Levels Unseen Since 1967**
**Geneva, July 15, 2025 (PTI)** – The United Nations issued a stark warning today about the escalating crisis in the West Bank, reporting mass displacement of Palestinians on a scale not witnessed since the start of Israel’s occupation nearly six decades ago.
According to the UN report, an Israeli military operation, dubbed “Iron Wall,” initiated in January in the northern West Bank, has forcibly displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians. “It is impacting several refugee camps in the area, and it is causing the largest population displacement of the Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967” stated Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
The UN rights office expressed particular concern over the potential for ethnic cleansing. Spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan revealed that approximately 30,000 Palestinians remain displaced since the start of “Iron Wall.” He also highlighted the issuance of demolition orders for some 1,400 homes in the northern West Bank since January. Furthermore, he noted that since October 2023, Israeli demolitions have displaced 2,907 Palestinians, and Israeli settler actions have displaced an additional 2,400, nearly half of whom are children.
“Permanently displacing the civilian population within occupied territory amounts to unlawful transfer,” Mr. Kheetan stated, emphasizing that, depending on the circumstances, “this could be tantamount to ethnic cleansing and could amount to a crime against humanity.”
The report also detailed a significant increase in settler violence, with 757 attacks recorded in the first half of 2025, a 13% increase compared to the same period last year. In June alone, 96 Palestinians were injured in settler attacks, the highest monthly figure in over two decades.
Violence in the West Bank has surged dramatically following the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas. Since then, the UN reports that at least 964 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. During the same period, 53 Israelis have been killed in reported attacks by Palestinians or in armed clashes.
The UN is calling for an immediate cessation of actions contributing to displacement and urging all parties to uphold international law and protect civilian populations. The situation raises serious concerns about the future of the region and the potential for further escalation of the conflict.
First Piper 