U.S., Russia back UN statement urging end to growing West Bank violence – National | 24CA News
The U.N. Security Council urged Israel and the Palestinians on Tuesday to keep away from actions that may additional inflame tensions within the unstable West Bank.
The assertion was backed by each the United States and Russia in a second of unity on a divisive challenge, reflecting the widespread worldwide concern on the escalating violence particularly by Israeli forces and settlers.
The assertion adopted what U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland known as “an alarming spike in violence” within the West Bank that led to quite a few Palestinian and Israeli casualties. He warned the council that “unless decisive steps are taken now to rein in the violence, there is a significant risk that events could deteriorate further.”
Wennesland mentioned he was significantly alarmed by “the extreme levels of settler violence, including large numbers of settlers, many armed, systematically attacking Palestinian villages, terrorizing communities,” typically with help from Israeli forces.
Council members known as for restraint and “encouraged additional steps to restore a durable calm and de-escalate tensions.”
This 12 months has been one of many deadliest for Palestinians within the West Bank in years, and final week noticed a serious escalation in settler violence. At least 137 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli hearth within the West Bank in 2023. As of Saturday, 24 folks on the Israeli facet have been killed in Palestinian assaults.
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, supported the council assertion and U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood instructed the council that the Biden administration shares Wennesland’s alarm.
He mentioned the United States was “horrified by the brutal terror attack against Israelis” close to the West Bank city of Eli on June 21 that killed 4 and injured a number of others and condemned it “in the strongest terms.” He additionally condemned “the recent extremist settler attacks against Palestinian civilians, which have resulted in a death, injuries and significant damage to their property.”
At a time of escalating violence, there was widespread council criticism of plans by Israel’s far-right authorities to construct over 5,000 new properties in Jewish settlements within the West Bank, and velocity up settlement approvals.
Under worldwide legislation, all Israeli settlements in occupied territory are unlawful.
Wennesland warned that Israel’s “relentless expansion” of settlements is fueling violence “and is impeding access by Palestinians to their land and resources, reshaping the geography of the occupied West Bank and threatening the viability of a future Palestinian state.”
Wood known as on Israel to chorus from constructing settlements, evicting Palestinians and demolishing their properties, and on each events to chorus from terrorism and incitement to violence, “all of which serve to only further inflame the situation.”
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia additionally expressed critical concern on the escalating violence, pointing to an Israeli raid on June 19 within the Jenin Refugee Camp that killed seven Palestinians, clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians, and intensified Israeli exercise to broaden and legalize settlements.
Nebenzia warned that the state of affairs will stay “explosive” till negotiations resume on a two-state resolution that sees Israel and the Palestinians residing facet by facet in peace. And he reiterated Russia’s name for a gathering with the Arab League and neighboring international locations to offer impetus to long-stalled talks.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, accused the Israeli authorities of “making a state for the settlers in place of the Palestinian state.” He mentioned the settlers know their actions are condemned worldwide however they’ve army, monetary and political help from the Israeli authorities, whereas the Palestinians don’t have any actual help to rein them in regardless of having “the moral high ground” and worldwide legislation on their facet.
The Palestinians are extra satisfied daily that “there is no help on the way,” Mansour mentioned, urging the council, “Show them that help is on the way.”
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan accused the council of underreporting the three,500 assaults he mentioned the Palestinians have dedicated towards Israelis for the reason that starting of the 12 months.
He condemned the violence towards Palestinian civilians and mentioned Israel is “working tirelessly” to search out and maintain these accountable accountable. He pointedly famous that the Palestinians haven’t condemned the murders of harmless Israelis.
Erdan accused the Palestinians of searching for “the destruction of the very notion of a Jewish state.” He mentioned if Israel withdrew from the West Bank, the Hamas militant group would take management because it did in Gaza.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
