JABAR EKSPRES – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has condemned the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank and in Israel.
According to him, the military operation in the West Bank and the car crash attack in Tel Aviv confirmed a familiar pattern of events, namely that violence only leads to more violence.
“The killing, maiming and destruction of property must stop,” Turk said in a statement on Tuesday (7/4).
Regarding the Israeli military offensive in Jenin, Turk said that the scale of the operation, the repeated use of airstrikes, and the destruction of property raise a number of serious issues with respect to international human rights norms and standards, including the obligation to protect and respect the right to life.
Read more: Victims of Israeli Attack in Jenin Rise!
He said deaths resulting from such airstrikes could also be intentional killings.
“Israeli forces’ operations in the occupied West Bank need to comply with international human rights standards on the use of force. These standards do not change just because the purpose of the operation is declared as ‘counter terrorism’,” Turk said.
Turk added that Israel must also ensure the wounded have access to medical treatment as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, seven Israelis were injured in a car crash attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, according to Israeli police.
The attack came a day after an Israeli army raid in Jenin killed at least 10 Palestinians and injured more than 100 others, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Nearly 190 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of this year, according to Health Ministry data. At least 25 Israelis were also killed in separate attacks during the same period.
An estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers live in 164 settlements and 116 outposts in the occupied West Bank.
Yet, according to international law, all Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal.
