UN chief warns Israeli E1 settlement plan would be "death blow" to two-state solution

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has delivered a grave assessment, stating that Israel's advancement of a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank would strike a catastrophic blow to the prospects for a two-state solution. Addressing the UN Committee on Palestinian Rights, Guterres highlighted Israel's recent tender for 3,401 housing units in the E1 corridor east of Jerusalem as a particularly destabilizing move. He warned that implementing this plan would "sever the northern and southern West Bank, undermine territorial contiguity, and strike a severe blow to the viability of a two-state solution," effectively fragmenting any future Palestinian entity.

Condemning a pattern of "relentless" settlement and violence

The secretary-general framed the E1 plan within a broader pattern of intensifying Israeli actions. "In the occupied West Bank, relentless illegal settlement expansion, demolitions, displacement, and evictions are accelerating," he stated. Guterres cited alarming figures, noting that over 37,000 Palestinians were displaced in the West Bank in 2025 alone—a year that also saw record levels of settler violence. He reiterated that such activities are "unlawful" under international law, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice, and described them as part of a deeply destabilizing strategy that risks formal annexation of the territory.

Defending UNRWA and addressing the crisis in Gaza

Guterres used the platform to mount a strong defense of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which faces severe restrictions from Israeli authorities. He condemned Israeli laws that impede UNRWA's operations and denounced as "utterly abhorrent" public threats made by Israeli officials against the agency. On Gaza, the UN chief emphasized the "grave suffering" that continues despite a ceasefire, reporting that more than 500 Palestinians have been killed since the October agreement. He called for the full implementation of the ceasefire, maximum restraint, and "rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief at scale," including through the recently reopened Rafah crossing.

A principled call for rights and a unified political horizon

Beyond immediate crises, Guterres outlined essential principles for a sustainable peace. He asserted that any solution for Gaza must be consistent with international law and result in the West Bank and Gaza being "governed by a unified, legitimate, and internationally recognized Palestinian Government." Emphatically, he stated, "Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a Palestinian State." Reaffirming the work of the committee, he concluded with a foundational demand: "The occupation must end... The inalienable rights of the Palestinian people must be realized." This position aligns with the long-standing diplomatic stance of nations like Türkiye, which advocates for an end to the occupation and a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.