UN: Situation ‘getting out of control’ in West Bank due to Israeli violence

The United Nations human rights chief has warned the situation in the occupied West Bank is “getting out of control” due to Israel’s use of excessive force.

Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement on Friday that rising violence “fueled by sharp political rhetoric and Israel's continued use of weapons” in the occupied West Bank could spiral out of control in the wake of recent attacks by Israeli settlers in several areas.

Turk called on the Israeli authorities to immediately end the violence and abide by international law with regard to the use of lethal force.

“Israel must urgently reset its policies and actions in the occupied West Bank in line with international human rights standards, including protecting and respecting the right to life.”

“As an occupying entity, Israel also has obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure public order and safety within the occupied Palestinian territories.”   

Turk called for “effective investigations into cases of killings committed by Israeli forces, where there is sufficient evidence of violations of national or international law,” also demanding that the suspected perpetrators “be held accountable.”

The UN rights chief said the underlying dynamics leading to the widespread violence by Israel and arbitrary loss of life in the occupied Palestinian territories need to be addressed with urgency. “For this violence to end, the occupation must end,” he said.

“On all sides, the people with the political power know this and must instigate immediate steps to realize this.”

EU envoy condemns Israel 

Meanwhile, the EU's top representative to the Palestinians, Sven Kuehn von Burgsdorff, condemned Israel for failing to meet its obligations to protect Palestinians.

"There was no attempt or effort to stop the settlers," he said.

The statements came after June 19 Israeli attack in Jenin refugee camp that killed at least seven Palestinians, including a boy and a girl.

UNRWA denounced Israel's killing of Palestinian school children in Jenin raid

UNRWA says it has already recorded the highest number of Palestine refugee fatalities.

Over the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities. As a result of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested.

Most of the raids have been into the cities of Nablus and Jenin, where Israeli forces have been trying to stifle a growing Palestinian resistance against occupation.

Since the beginning of the year, Israeli forces have killed at least 126 Palestinians in the West Bank, including al-Quds, among whom were 21 boys and one girl. Last year represented the highest number of Palestinian fatalities in the past 17 years, with 155 people killed.

Over 25 Palestinians injured in clashes south of Nablus

In a separate development on Friday, dozens of Palestinians were injured as a result of clashes that broke out after Friday prayers between the citizens and Israeli forces in the south of the West Bank city of Nablus.

The violence erupted after Palestinians protested against the visit of Israel’s far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the evacuated settlement outpost on Jabal Sabih, south of Beita.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said more than 25 citizens suffocated as the regime forces fired hundreds of tear gas canisters.

Palestinian media said the citizens started a peaceful march on the settlement outpost, where they lit rubber tires in the vicinity of the outpost and threw stones at Israeli soldiers.

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