UN condemns new Israeli outposts, curfews in West Bank

KUALA LUMPUR, 20 AUGUST 2026 —

The United Nations warned on Wednesday that new Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, including tenders for more than 1,200 housing units in the controversial E1 area, threaten to sever East Jerusalem from the rest of the territory and undermine a two-state solution.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Secretary-General António Guterres was “deeply alarmed” by the plans, which follow an International Court of Justice advisory opinion in July declaring Israel’s occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem “unlawful.” Israel was urged to halt further steps and comply with UN resolutions and the ICJ ruling.

Meanwhile, about 40,000 Palestinians in Dahiriya, Hebron, remained under curfew after Israeli forces launched an operation involving snipers, roadblocks, arrests and the use of at least seven homes as interrogation centres. UN humanitarian partners said residents could not leave to buy supplies, access services or reach work, creating an immediate humanitarian crisis.

UN humanitarian teams reported daily deadly attacks on Gaza despite an October 2025 provisional ceasefire that ended the two-year Israel-Hamas war. An Israeli airstrike on a Gaza seaport on Tuesday killed at least seven people and injured others, with fresh strikes reported on Wednesday. UN officials warned such incidents endangered civilians and restricted access to safety, medical care and aid.

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory criticised remarks by Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, that it said incite “violence amounting to atrocity crimes.” OHCHR called the comments “dehumanising” and said they followed the deaths of 73,400 Palestinians and injuries to 174,312 in Gaza since October 2023, alongside 1,123 Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank.

OHCHR noted that in January 2024 the ICJ ordered Israel to prevent and punish public incitement to genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It said senior Israeli officials’ statements now risk encouraging further unlawful killings.

For Malaysian businesses, the escalation underscores geopolitical risks in the Middle East that could affect regional supply chains and commodity prices.