Israeli forces and settlers carried out a total of 1,659 violations in the West Bank during May, said a monthly report from the Palestine Liberation Organization's Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.
The Commission's head, Mu'ayyad Sha'ban, said the Israeli forces carried out 1,108 attacks, while the settlers carried out 551.
According to Sha'ban, the form of the attacks varied, including direct physical violence, uprooting of trees, burning of fields, denial of farmers' access to their land, seizure of property, and demolition of homes and agricultural structures.
Sha'ban said that the pattern of attacks clearly reveals the adoption of systematic policies aimed at imposing a coercive, expulsive environment. He said these policies translate into forced displacement operations.
Sha'ban said the displacement of families and destruction of property, land, and trees constitutes a compound crime targeting both people and place, adding that these actions are part of a project of gradual de facto annexation managed through organized escalation of violence.
Sha'ban said that the Israeli settlers attempted to establish 12 new settlement outposts since the beginning of May.
In addition, the Israeli forces carried out 70 demolition operations in May targeting 155 facilities and distributed 51 demolition notifications for Palestinian facilities, Sha'ban said.
Israeli forces, settlers carry out over 1,600 attacks in West Bank during May: report
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Friday in Shanghai that artificial intelligence could become humanity’s greatest opportunity in the 21st century, as he praised China’s leadership in global AI governance.
Guterres was addressing the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance.
"Artificial intelligence can be humanity's greatest opportunity in the 21st century. As the conference theme reminds us, a brighter future depends on partnerships, and I thank China for bringing us together in that spirit. The launch by President Xi in 2023 of the Global AI Governance Initiative was a very strong message of Chinese commitment and leadership, and WAICO (World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization) is its natural development. Few areas hold greater promise for our common future than the application of AI to sustainable development. The challenge before us is to ensure that artificial intelligence becomes a force for greater inclusion and shared progress. China has an essential role to play, and so do all of us," he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the event. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also addressed the ceremony.
The 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance runs from Friday to Monday, bringing together officials, representatives, business leaders, scholars and researchers from more than 100 countries and international organizations.
UN chief highlights AI as humanity's greatest opportunity, lauds China's role
