Israeli army admits firing shots near foreign diplomats in Jenin
The Israeli army has issued a statement addressing reports its forces fired shots near a delegation of foreign diplomats in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The military said the bullets were “warning shots”, fired after the delegation “deviated” from their approved route and moved to an “unauthorised” area.
“No injuries or damage were reported,” said the military, adding that a commander is reviewing the incident and their findings would be relayed to the relevant diplomats.
The military said it “regrets the inconvenience caused”.
Shoot first, Hasbara later
Shooting incident in Jenin underlines harsh ‘reality’ of West Bank occupation
The Israeli army said it “regrets any inconvenience” [from the shooting incident in Jenin] and that army officials are speaking with diplomats in different counties to try to mitigate the situation.
Nonetheless, this just goes to show the reality of what’s happening on the ground in the West Bank.
Even if you go to visit as part of a delegation from another country, some of which are allies of Israel, you can be subjected to that same type of treatment by the Israeli army, which has imposed a siege on the refugee camp since January.
EU top diplomat calls on Israel to investigate incident in Jenin
We have been reporting throughout the day on an incident in which Israeli forces fired shots near a delegation of foreign diplomats in Jenin, occupied West Bank.
Kaja Kallas has called on Israel to investigate the incident.
“I heard about the incident in Jenin today where Israel’s Defence Forces shot warning shots, but still shots, at a group of diplomats approaching the refugee camp, within the visit organised by the Palestinian Authority,” Kallas told reporters.
“We definitely call on Israel to investigate this incident and also hold [to] account those who are responsible for this, and any threats on diplomats’ lives are unacceptable.”
She said Israel was a signatory to the Vienna Convention and hence had the obligation to “guarantee the security of all foreign diplomats”.
