The fragile situation in the Middle East is being further destabilized by new incidents, and there have again been fatalities. UN Secretary General Guterres criticized the Israeli mission in Jenin – escalation is not the answer.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has sharply criticized Israel’s recent military operation in the West Bank. “Israel’s airstrikes and ground operations in a densely populated refugee camp represent the worst violence in the West Bank in many years,” Guterres said, referring to the Israeli operation in Jenin. More than 100 people were injured and thousands were forced to flee, Guterres said. He understands Israel’s legitimate security concerns. “But escalation is not an answer.”
Israeli soldiers used excessive force, the Secretary General said in New York. Schools and hospitals were damaged and the water and electricity supply were cut off. Guterres also accused Israel’s army of preventing injured people from getting medical help.
Guterres also criticized the Israeli airstrikes on targets in Jenin. Such attacks are incompatible with the rules of conduct in law enforcement operations.
Bloody action in Jenin
Israeli soldiers moved to Jenin on Monday and justified this with the search for weapons and equipment. After the operation, the army announced that it had seized thousands of weapons, bomb-making materials and cash. At least twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed.
Two dead in Nablus
In what is currently a very tense situation, new incidents have been reported. Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinians in Nablus. The domestic intelligence service Shin Bet said the two men were responsible for a gun attack on police officers earlier this week.
Israeli soldier shot dead
An Israeli soldier was killed yesterday during a vehicle check near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim. The attacker was pursued and later “neutralized” by Israeli forces.
The armed wing of the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas claimed responsibility for killing the soldier.