UN urges Israel to cancel ruling to evict 1,300 Palestinians in Al-Khalil

In a statement, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Lynn Hastings warned that the recent Israeli Supreme Court's ruling to evict the residents of Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills "amounts to forcible transfer".

"The decision affects over one thousand Palestinians, including 500 children, in the occupied West Bank and allows for the eviction of the residents," announced Hastings in the statement.

She added: "As all domestic legal remedies have been exhausted, the community is now unprotected and at risk of imminent displacement."

The UN humanitarian coordinator warned: "Such evictions resulting in displacement could amount to a forcible transfer, contrary to resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and international law."

She reiterated the calls of the UN secretary-general on Israel: "To cease demolitions and evictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in line with its obligations under international law."