Following a deadly week in the West Bank featured with violent Israeli settlers’ rampages across towns and villages, the armed acts have triggered widespread rage and condemnations.
A total of 19 Palestinians were murdered by armed settlers in the West Bank since ‘Israel’ launched its military offensive against the Gaza enclave in October 7.
The attacks have been running high since last Friday, killing seven Palestinians and wounding 75, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Spokesperson of Biden administration, Matthew Miller, said the US State is increasingly concerned over the surge of armed settlers’ onslaughts in the West Bank, stressing that civilians shouldn’t be a legitimate target for armed acts.
“The violence must stop. Civilians are never legitimate targets. We call on the authorities to take measures to protect all communities from harm,” he said.
The remarks were made after settlers holding rifles broke into Nablus’s village of Aqraba, clamped down on farmers and shepherds and killed two young men with at least other 17 were reproted injured.
The UN human rights office also condemned the rampages in the West Bank while eyes are directed to Gaza war, accusing Israeli occupation forces of often ignoring or even joining settler attacks.
The office also urged Israeli security forces to stop supporting and participating in attacks by Israeli settlers.
Israeli National Security Minister, called by other officials as the Minister of “chaos”, Itamar Ben Gvir is playing a key role in inciting settlers to perpetrate violent attacks against civilian Palestinians.
Just some day after October 7, he disturbed semi-automatic rifles and other weapons to settlers and far-right Israelis, ordering them to kill Palestinians.
Many extremist settlers since then were noticed wearing shirts inciting of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. “May your village burn” was spotted written on an Israeli settler’s shirt while shopping in a business known to employ Palestinian workers in the occupied territories.
Last December, over 15 world countries, including the UK, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the European Union, France, issued a statement criminalizing extremist Jewish settlers’ rampages and reiterating their position that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and its settlers’ attacks are illegal under International Law.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=53198
