UN blames Israel’s ‘coercive measures’ for Palestinian displacements

The UN on Wednesday accused Israel of causing the displacement of Palestinians living in a Bedouin community in the occupied West Bank.

In a report, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said around 100 Palestinians were forced to leave the Ras At-Teen Bedouin community near Ramallah city last month.

The report cited unbearable living conditions as a result of Israel's "coercive measures", settler violence and demolitions of their shelters as reasons that forced Palestinian residents to leave their community.

The UN report called on the Israeli authorities to halt the policy of home demolition and land confiscation, hold settlers accountable for their violence against Palestinian residents and to prevent Israeli forces from using excessive force against them.

Israeli and Palestinian estimates indicate there are about 660,000 settlers living in 145 settlements and 140 outposts in the occupied West Bank.

Under international law, all Jewish settlements in occupied territories are considered illegal.