US tells Israel to protect Palestinians after deadly Israeli settler attacks in West Bank
The US has condemned as “unacceptable” deadly rampage attacks on a Palestinian village and town by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, saying its key ally Israel must protect Palestinian “communities from harm”.
“Attacks by violent settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank are unacceptable and must stop,” a US National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement.
“Israeli authorities must take measures to protect all communities from harm, this includes intervening to stop such violence and holding all perpetrators of such violence to account,” the spokesperson said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said a 23-year-old Palestinian man – identified as Mahmoud Abdel Qader Sadda – was killed in the settler violence and another Palestinian suffered critical gunshot wounds to the chest in the attack on the village of Jit, located east of Qalqilya city.
Dozens of masked Israeli settlers, some armed, hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails as they stormed the Palestinian village, setting fire to several cars and destroying property.
‘Time is now’: UN rights expert says sanction Israel over settler attacks on Palestinians
The UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory said “sanctions must be imposed” on Israel over Israeli settler violence against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.
In a post on social media highlighting remarks by humanitarian law expert, Itay Epshtain, that “settler violence is instructed, directed, and controlled” by Israeli state officials, the UN’s Francesca Albanese said sanctions need to go beyond individual settlers and illegal settlements.
“Time to act was decades ago: as it was not done, that time is now,” Albanese said.
In a series of posts on social media, the special adviser to the Norwegian Refugee Council said that Israeli “settler violence is aided and supported” by institutions of the Israeli state, including ministries and regional and local councils involved in the illegal settlements.
“Settler violence against Palestinians is attributable to the State of Israel and its central and local government,” Epshtain said.
The international community can, and must, employ “lawful countermeasures” to compel Israel to abide by international law, which is being “seriously and systematically breached through settler violence”, he said.
“The adequate response to the upsurge of settler violence, including the deadly incident tonight, is to subject Israeli ministries and the ministers who head them, and local government and heads of regional and local settlement councils to financial restrictions and travel bans,” Epshtain said.
The International Court of Justice affirmed in July that Israel’s military presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful, he said, and all illegal Israeli settlements must be immediately dismantled, and settlers must withdraw from Palestinian land.
“The organs of government that allow for continued Israeli presence, and the violence it brings with it, are an affront to international law and must be met with political resolve to impose sanctions,” he added.
Gallant condemns ‘extremist rioting’ in the West Bank
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has condemned “violent, radical riots” by extremist Israeli settlers on the village of Jit, east of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank.
“At a time when our troops are fighting on the front lines, defending the State of Israel, a group of radical individuals have launched a riot and attacked innocent people. They do not represent the values of the communities living in Samaria,” he said, using the Israeli name for the occupied West Bank.
One man was killed as dozens of Israeli settlers, some armed, hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails as they rampaged through the Palestinian village on Thursday. Attacks were also reported on the Palestinian town of Huwara in the Nablus Governorate.
Israeli rights groups react with revulsion to ‘pure settler terrorism’
Human rights groups and activists in Israel have blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for supporting and sponsoring settler violence following the attacks on an occupied West Bank village and town during which a 23-year-old Palestinian man was killed and about a dozen injured.
“This is pure settler terrorism – supported by the state, sponsored by our government,” the Peace Now organisation said on social media.
The Mistaclim organisation, which is made up of Israelis opposed to the occupation of Palestinian territory, said, “Contrary to the publication in the news, this is not a nationalist event but a terrorist attack.”
“So far – 0 arrests,” it added.
They're all terrorist attacks, state sponsored terrorist attacks.
