Jenin (Agencies)
Israeli forces continue their extensive military operations in the occupied West Bank, especially in the Jenin area, amid grave European and international concern and warnings of the risk of instability. For three days, Israel has been carrying out a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank, especially in Jenin and Tulkarm, as it announced, which led to the killing of at least 19 Palestinians, on the sidelines of the war in Gaza. The British government said yesterday that it was “deeply concerned” about the ongoing Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank, warning that the risk of instability was grave, and stressing the urgent need to de-escalate.
“We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, comply with international law and act robustly against the actions of those seeking to inflame tensions,” a British Foreign Office spokesman said in a statement, adding, “We strongly condemn settler violence,” and that it is in no one’s interest for conflict and instability to expand in the occupied West Bank.
For its part, France considered that the Israeli military operations in the West Bank “exacerbate an atmosphere of unprecedented instability and violence,” expressing its deep concern over the deterioration of the general situation in the Palestinian territories. In a statement by the French Foreign Ministry, Paris stressed its opposition to settlements in the occupied West Bank, “which must stop immediately.” The intensity of Israeli attacks targeting schools or shelters for the displaced is causing an unacceptable number of civilian casualties, as the French Foreign Ministry wrote, stressing “the need to respect international humanitarian law, including Israel,” and considered attacks targeting humanitarian workers “unacceptable.” As for Jerusalem, Paris warned that systematic questioning of the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque now creates the risk of a “general” conflict. The statement added that France also condemns the irresponsible statements of Ben Gvir, the far-right Israeli minister, who openly and continuously calls for actions that exacerbate the status quo.
In turn, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares considered the situation in the occupied West Bank to be “absolutely unacceptable,” adding that this does not contribute to establishing peace and endangers the two-state solution. He reiterated Madrid’s condemnation of Israeli settlements, saying that the situation in the West Bank is characterized by permanent violence.
The day before yesterday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called in a statement for an immediate halt to Israeli operations, condemning the use of air strikes on civilian targets, and expressing his regret for the loss of life, including children.
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