UN warns of West Bank situation “getting out of control”
A United Nations rights official has warned of Israeli use of excessive force and stressed the situation in the West Bank is “getting out of control”.
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Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement on Friday that rising violence “fueled by sharp political rhetoric and Israel's continued use of weapons” in the occupied West Bank could spiral out of control in the wake of recent attacks by Israeli settlers in several areas.
Turk called on the Israeli authorities to immediately end the violence and abide by international law with regard to the use of lethal force.
“Israel must urgently reset its policies and actions in the occupied West Bank in line with international human rights standards, including protecting and respecting the right to life.”
“As an occupying entity, Israel also has obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure public order and safety within the occupied Palestinian territories.”
Turk called for “effective investigations into cases of killings committed by Israeli forces, where there is sufficient evidence of violations of national or international law,” also demanding that the suspected perpetrators “be held accountable.”
The UN rights chief said the underlying dynamics leading to the widespread violence by Israel and arbitrary loss of life in the occupied Palestinian territories need to be addressed with urgency. “For this violence to end, the occupation must end,” he said.
“On all sides, the people with the political power know this and must instigate immediate steps to realize this.”
Meanwhile, the EU's top representative to the Palestinians, Sven Kuehn von Burgsdorff, condemned Israel for failing to meet its obligations to protect Palestinians.
"There was no attempt or effort to stop the settlers," he said.
The statements came after June 19 Israeli attack in Jenin refugee camp that killed at least seven Palestinians, including a boy and a girl.
Over the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities. As a result of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested.
Most of the raids have been into the cities of Nablus and Jenin, where Israeli forces have been trying to stifle a growing Palestinian resistance against occupation.
