UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that Israeli settlement expansion, violence and displacement in the occupied West Bank are undermining prospects for a viable two-state solution.
Addressing the opening of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22, Guterres said developments in the occupied Palestinian territory were “bulldozing the path to peace.”
He said continued settlement expansion and other measures in the West Bank were further weakening the prospects for the establishment of an independent and contiguous Palestinian state.
The UN Secretary-General has repeatedly raised concerns over settlement activity. In a June 2026 report, he said the expansion of Israeli settlements and related measures were transforming geographic and demographic realities in the West Bank and further undermining prospects for a two-state solution.
Guterres has also reiterated the UN position that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity under international law and are a major obstacle to achieving a just and lasting peace.
The UN chief called for renewed international efforts to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution, as violence, displacement and settlement expansion continue to shape conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory.
