International concern over escalating violence in the West Bank

Although the Israeli military forces (IDF) announced that they have begun withdrawing from the West Bank city of Jenin, the rift in Israeli-Palestinian relations is still “bleeding”.

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Jenin, West Bank. Source: Reuters

After 44 hours (from July 3) of launching a large-scale military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin using fighter jets, the Israeli army confirmed that it had withdrawn from the area. The fighting left at least one Israeli soldier dead from a gunshot wound at a refugee camp in Jenin. Meanwhile, the Palestinian side said that eight people were killed and nearly 100 others were injured.

Earlier, Palestinian witnesses said that Israeli forces with dozens of armored vehicles, supported by helicopters and drones, attacked Jenin and the refugee camp there. Armed clashes broke out and lasted for hours between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen. Air strikes were carried out while the two sides fought.

Last month, the Israeli military also carried out a raid in Jenin that left seven people dead. That raid also saw the Israeli military fire missiles from a helicopter, something not seen in the West Bank since 2002, AFP reported, citing a Palestinian official.

Violence has escalated in the West Bank over the past 15 months, with frequent Israeli military attacks on Palestinian cities and villages that have left scores dead and wounded. In response, Palestinian militants have carried out a series of attacks on Israelis, further escalating tensions.

According to official figures, since January 2023, clashes have left 24 Israelis and more than 175 Palestinians, including children and women, dead in attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers.

Israel occupied the West Bank - territory Palestinians see as the core of a future independent Palestinian state, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip - in the 1967 Middle East war. After decades of conflict, US-brokered peace talks have been frozen since 2014.

Israel's recent escalation of the conflict has sparked a backlash from the Palestinian government and factions. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Palestinians to stand firm and unite to defend their country, while condemning Israel's offensive in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, the official spokesman of the President, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, condemned what the Israeli Government is doing in the city of Jenin as a new “war crime” against defenseless civilians.

Sharing the same view, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) affirmed that the attack on Jenin will fail and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government he heads must be responsible for what is happening.

The European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has expressed deep concern over the serious escalation of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The EU also condemned the attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, and reaffirmed that sustainable security can only be achieved through a political solution to the conflict, allowing Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace and prosperity.

United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has expressed concern over the latest round of violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank, calling for an end to the violence that causes death and injury.

In order to cool down the tension between Israel and Palestine, many people expect a closed meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the West Bank town of Jenin to take place today, July 7.

HN synthesis

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