Israeli settlements expand by record amount, UN human rights chief says

Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories have expanded by a record amount and risk eliminating any practical possibly of a Palestinian state, the UN human rights chief said on Friday.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that the growth of Israeli settlements amounted to the transfer by Israel of its own population, which he said was a war crime. The U.S. Biden administration said last month the settlements were "inconsistent" with international law after Israel announced new housing plan in the occupied West Bank.

"Settler violence and settlement-related violations have reached shocking new levels, and risk eliminating any practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian State," Turk said in a statement that accompanied the 16-page report.

The report, based on the UN's own monitoring as well as other sources, documented 24,300 new Israeli housing units in the occupied West Bank during a one-year period through to end-October 2023, which it said was the highest on record since monitoring began in 2017.

It also said there had been a dramatic increase in the intensity, severity and regularity of both Israeli settler and state violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, particularly since the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.

Israel claims a biblical birthright to the land where settlers are expanding. Its military says it is conducting counter-terrorism operations in the West Bank and is targeting suspected militants.

The UN Rights Office also said an Israeli offensive in Gaza's Rafah region "cannot be allowed to happen" while EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated a humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding in Gaza. 

U.S. to build Gaza sea port for aid

The U.S. military will build a temporary port on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to receive humanitarian aid by sea, President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union speech on Thursday.

Planning for the operation, initially based on the island of Cyprus, does not envision deployment of U.S. military personnel in Gaza.

Biden's announcement came as he seeks to cool anger among many in his Democratic Party over his support for Israel in its offensive in Gaza given the steep toll on civilians in the Palestinian enclave.

Senior administration officials who had briefed reporters on the plan before the speech also said Hamas was delaying a new deal with Israel on a six-week ceasefire and the release of hostages because the Islamists who rule Gaza have not agreed to free sick and elderly captives.

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The deal "is on the table now and has been for more than the past week," said an official, referring to stalled negotiations in Egypt, adding that the temporary ceasefire was needed "to bring immediate relief to the people of Gaza." Hamas blamed the stalemate on Israel's rejection of its demands to end its offensive and withdraw its forces.

Biden's decision to order the construction of the temporary port came amid UN warnings of widespread famine among the enclave's 2.3 million Palestinians after nearly five months of fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas.

Large swathes of Gaza have been destroyed and most of its population displaced by intense Israeli bombardments and fighting. Israel says Hamas' incursion claimed 1,200 lives and saw the Islamists abduct 253 hostages.

In his speech, Biden said more than 30,000 Palestinians had been killed. "Most of whom are not Hamas," he added. "Thousands and thousands are innocent women and children."

'We're not waiting for the Israelis'

Washington will work with European and regional partners and allies to build an international coalition of countries that would contribute capabilities and funds, the officials said.

An Israeli official said Israel "fully supports the deployment of a temporary dock" on Gaza's coast and the operation would be carried out "with full coordination between the two parties."

Sigrid Kaag, the UN humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, welcomed Washington joining the initiative developed by Cyprus to create a maritime corridor to deliver goods to Gaza.

"We welcome this. At the same time I cannot but repeat - air and sea is not a substitute for land and nobody says otherwise," Kaag said after briefing the UN Security Council behind closed doors.

Although Israel is increasing the number of aid-bearing trucks allowed into Gaza and the United States and other countries have been airdropping supplies, the assistance getting in it still insufficient, one of the U.S. officials said.

"We're not waiting for the Israelis" to let in more aid, the official added. "This is a moment for American leadership."

The temporary port would increase humanitarian assistance to Palestinians and officials there would work with UN and humanitarian aid organizations that "understand the distribution of assistance within Gaza," the official said.

The operation would "take a number of weeks to plan and execute", the official said, adding that the required U.S. forces are in the region or would soon begin moving there.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen added that she expected a maritime aid corridor to start operating between Cyprus and Gaza over this weekend.

"We're not waiting for the Israelis"

Washington will work with European and regional partners and allies to build an international coalition of countries that would contribute capabilities and funds, the officials said.

An Israeli official said Israel "fully supports the deployment of a temporary dock" on Gaza's coast and the operation would be carried out "with full coordination between the two parties."

Sigrid Kaag, the UN humanitarian and reconstruction co-ordinator for Gaza, welcomed Washington joining the initiative developed by Cyprus to create a maritime corridor to deliver goods to Gaza.

"We welcome this. At the same time I cannot but repeat - air and sea is not a substitute for land and nobody says otherwise," Kaag said after briefing the UN Security Council behind closed doors.

Although Israel is increasing the number of aid-bearing trucks allowed into Gaza and the United States and other countries have been airdropping supplies, the assistance getting in it still insufficient, one of the U.S. officials said.

"We're not waiting for the Israelis" to let in more aid, the official added. "This is a moment for American leadership."

The temporary port would increase humanitarian assistance to Palestinians and officials there would work with UN and humanitarian aid organizations that "understand the distribution of assistance within Gaza," the official said.

The operation would "take a number of weeks to plan and execute", the official said, adding that the required U.S. forces are in the region or would soon begin moving there.

The operation would build on a Cypriot initiative that calls for gathering humanitarian aid in the island's port city of Larnaca, 210 nautical miles from Gaza, officials have said.

That would permit Israeli officials to screen shipments before they head to Gaza. While the temporary port will initially be military-run, Washington envisions it becoming a commercially run facility, the official said.

Britain said it would work with the United States, foreign minister David Cameron said on Friday. "Alongside the U.S., the UK and partners have announced we will open a maritime corridor to deliver aid directly to Gaza," Cameron said on social media.

"We continue to urge Israel to allow more trucks into Gaza as the fastest way to get aid to those who need it."

Biden warning for Israel

Biden issued a sharp directive to Israel's leaders, telling them not to hold up humanitarian aid to Palestinians for political purposes.

"To the leadership of Israel, I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip," Biden said. "Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority. As we look to the future, the only real solution to this situation is a two-state solution."

Biden has faced increasing pressure from fellow Democrats over his support for Israel's response to the October 7 attacks by Palestinian Hamas militants.

"I've been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for six weeks," he said, reiterating U.S. policy but using the word "ceasefire" that his administration once shied away from.

At least 30,878 Palestinians have been killed and 72,402 have been wounded since October 7 in Israel's military offensive on Gaza, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Friday.

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