Turk stresses that “for this violence to end, the occupation must end” and calls on Israel to “reprogram” its policies and actions in the West Bank
June 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The United Nations has warned this Friday that there is a risk of violence in the West Bank “getting out of control” due to “strident rhetoric” and “the increased use of advanced military weapons” by the forces of Israel.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has indicated that the “serious deterioration” of the situation “is having a terrible impact on Palestinians and Israelis”, which is why he has called for “an immediate end to the violence “, according to a statement released by his office.
Thus, he has reminded the Israeli authorities “of their obligations under International Law regarding the use of lethal force”, following the death of seven Palestinians, including two minors, at the hands of the Israeli security forces during a raid carried out on Monday in the West Bank city of Jenin (north).
Turk recalled that the Israeli forces carried out “a series of bombardments” against the refugee camp, which meant “a great intensification of the use of weapons more generally associated with armed hostilities, rather than a security operation.”
Along these lines, he recalled that the Israeli Army carried out a drone attack on a vehicle near Jenin on Wednesday that resulted in the death of three Palestinians. Both this targeted killing and the attack by military helicopters were the first such incidents in the West Bank since the end of the Second Intifada nearly two decades ago.
For this reason, it has stressed that Humanitarian Law requires the Israeli authorities to guarantee that all operations are planned and executed in such a way as to minimize the use of lethal force, for which reason it has called for “effective investigations where there is sufficient evidence of that there have been violations of national and international laws”, with the aim of holding those responsible “accountable”.
“Israel must urgently reprogram its policies and actions in the occupied West Bank, in line with international standards on Human Rights, including the protection and respect for the right to life,” said Turk, who has asserted that “as the occupying power, Israel also has obligations under humanitarian law to guarantee public order and security in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
On the other hand, he has shown his “dismay” at the fact that the death of four Israelis in an attack carried out on Tuesday in the vicinity of the Eli settlement was “celebrated by some Palestinians”, before abounding that “the latest murders and violence, as well as inflammatory rhetoric, only plunges Israelis and Palestinians into the abyss.”
Turk has also pointed to the attacks carried out by settlers against Palestinian towns in the West Bank, as well as the clashes between settlers, accompanied by members of the security forces, and residents in the town of Turmus Aya, where a Palestinian was killed and around 30 houses were burned down.
In this sense, he has detailed that the Israeli security forces have killed 126 Palestinians in the West Bank so far this year, including East Jerusalem, a figure that includes 22 minors. In 2022, the death toll rose to 155, already the highest number in the last 17 years, while last year saw the highest number of Israeli deaths since 2016.
“For this violence to end, the occupation must end. People with political power everywhere know this and must take immediate steps to materialize it,” Turk said, adding that the underlying dynamics must be urgently addressed. , which requires political will on the part of the Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
