UN speaks out against violence in the West Bank

The conflict between Israel and Palestine has escalated, forcing the United Nations Security Council to speak out in protest.

Palestinians flee during a raid by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Jenin on June 19, 2023. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Violence erupted last week in the West Bank after an Israeli military raid in the city of Jenin. According to Xinhua News Agency, six Palestinians were killed and at least 90 injured in the raid. Later, two Hamas gunmen opened fire at a gas station near Ramallah, killing four Israelis. According to AFP, more than 200 people have died in violence related to the conflict between Israel and Palestine since the beginning of the year, most of them Palestinians.

In response to the above developments, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has called on members to hold accountable the perpetrators who have caused the Israeli-Palestinian violence to escalate in the West Bank in recent days.

“The members of the Council expressed their sorrow at the loss of civilian lives and called for full respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians,” said United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibah.

Earlier, the statement of the President of the UN Security Council also condemned Israel's announcement that it would legalize nine illegal outposts and promote plans to build thousands of new settlements in the West Bank. Since January, more than 13,000 houses have been granted construction permits in these settlements, the most in recent years. Although only symbolic, this is the first time in nine years that the UN Security Council has issued a statement regarding the Israel-Palestine situation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned all acts of violence against civilians, warning that the new outbreak of violence in the West Bank could spiral out of control.

In a related development, in a phone call with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen affirmed that those responsible for the violence would be brought to justice. The Jewish State's foreign minister also accused Iran of secretly funding the "terrorist" group Lion's Den and being a central factor in the increase in attacks from the West Bank on Israelis.

For its part, the US diplomat said the White House was extremely concerned about settler attacks on Palestinians and urged Israel to do more to prevent violence in the area.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just convened a closed-door meeting with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and the commanders of the Israeli army (IDF) and the internal security agency (Shin Bet) to assess the violence in the West Bank. The meeting participants are said to have criticized Mr. Ben-Gvir for tacitly supporting recent settler attacks on Palestinians. Meanwhile, Mr. Ben-Gvir accused these officials of "exaggerating" the problem.

Earlier, the Israeli Defense Ministry Office announced that Minister Yoav Gallant and Palestinian Interior Minister Hussein Al-Sheikh had their first public phone call on the violence in the West Bank. During the call, Mr. Gallant emphasized: "Israel is concerned about the violence caused by extremists against Palestinian civilians in the past few days." At the same time, affirming that the Jewish State "will severely punish rioters according to the law", Minister Gallant also emphasized that Israeli forces will continue to be deployed to locations as requested and that easing tensions in the West Bank is in the common interest of both sides.

Although the UN, the US and the UAE have all condemned the escalating violence in the West Bank and have intervened to ease tensions, it is difficult to find a peaceful solution between Israel and Palestine without finding a common voice.

HN synthesis

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