Guterres Condemns Israeli Settlement Plan in Occupied West Bank

The Japan News

11:13 JST, August 21, 2025

YOKOHAMA — U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned the Israeli government’s approval of a settlement plan in the occupied West Bank.

“The decision by the Israeli authorities to expand illegal settlement construction, which would divide the West Bank, must be reversed,” Guterres said. “All settlement constructions are a violation of international law.”

Guterres is in Japan to participate in the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9).

As Aug. 15 marked 80th anniversary of the end of the World War II, there is a growing momentum for peace in Japan. Guterres called Japan “a leader for peace.”

He also said, “August marks the 80th anniversary of the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — and also the enduring commitment of the Japanese people to peace and disarmament, recognized most recently with the Nobel Peace Prize.”