July 6 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has criticized this Thursday the “excessive use of force” used by Israel during its operation in Jenin, which resulted in twelve deaths and hundreds of injuries, and has warned that these actions only “radicalize” the population.
Thus, he said he felt “deeply dismayed” by the operation and has strongly condemned all acts of violence against civilians, according to a UN statement.
In this sense, he has clarified that his condemnation applies to “any excessive use of force” and has stated that the Israeli operations have become “the worst acts of violence recorded in the West Bank for years.”
“Once again I ask Israel to comply with International Law, including the exercise of containment and the proportionate use of force. The use of air strikes is not in accordance with what is expected in the framework of operations carried out by the security forces” , has asserted.
In addition, he has said he understands Israel’s “legitimate security concerns”, but has stressed that “escalation of violence is not the solution.” “It only causes increased radicalization and leads to a cycle of violence and bloodshed,” she has maintained.
Previously, a group of United Nations experts has stated that the recent operation launched by the Israeli Army in the West Bank city of Jenin “could constitute a war crime.”
They have also emphasized that “the attacks constitute collective punishment for the Palestinian population, which has been described as ‘a collective security threat’ in the eyes of the Israeli authorities”, to which is added their “grave concern” for the use of weapons and military tactics on at least two occasions in the last two weeks in the area.
“The Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are people protected under International Law, who have all their rights, including the presumption of innocence,” said the experts, who have asserted that “they cannot be treated as a threat to collective security by the occupying power, especially as it moves towards the annexation of the occupied Palestinian land and displaces and takes away their possessions from the residing Palestinians”.
