"UN Rights Chief Condemns Record Expansion of Israeli Settlements as Potential War Crime"

The U.N. human rights office has released a report stating that the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem amount to a war crime under international law, with roughly 24,300 housing units in existing settlements advanced in the past year. The report deplores an increase in the building of new settlement homes and warns that settler violence and settlement-related violations are reaching shocking new levels, risking the practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state. Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva criticized the report for overlooking violence by Palestinian extremists against Israelis, while much of the international community considers the settlements to be illegal under international law.