Attacks in the West Bank
Germany calls for protection from radical settlers
October 30, 2023, 3:16 p.m
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Several civilians die and others flee when extremist Jewish settlers attack Palestinian communities in the West Bank. The federal government is demanding more security on site from Israel.
The German government has called on Israel to protect Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank from attacks by Jewish settlers. “We call on Israel to do everything it can to protect Palestinians from the activities of extremist settlers and to hold those responsible accountable,” said a Foreign Office spokesman.
The Federal Government “clearly condemns the attacks and violence by settlers on Palestinian communities, which has even led to the deaths of several civilians,” said the Foreign Office spokesman. “There were terrible scenes,” he continued. “Israel, as the occupying power in the West Bank, is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the Palestinian population in the West Bank.” There are Palestinians “who have left their traditional places of residence out of fear for life and limb,” the Foreign Office spokesman added.
According to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the major attack by the radical Islamic Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Israel on October 7th – in operations by the Israeli army, but also through attacks by Jewish settlers.
Israel: High-ranking terrorist killed
According to Palestinian information, four people were killed and nine others injured in an Israeli military operation in the city of Jenin in the north of the West Bank on Monday. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, more than 100 military vehicles and two bulldozers were involved in the operation in Jenin and the refugee camp there, which is considered a stronghold for armed Palestinian groups.
The Israeli army said it discovered “ready-to-use explosive devices” and a vehicle loaded with military equipment and ammunition during the operation in Jenin. It was also said that among those killed was a high-ranking leader of the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad.
A fifth Palestinian was killed by Israeli army gunfire at the entrance to Yatta in the south of the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. According to police, a Palestinian armed with a knife who had previously attacked and injured an Israeli police officer was shot dead in annexed East Jerusalem.
“Hamas is cowardly hiding behind civilians”
With a view to Israel’s attacks in the Gaza Strip, the German Foreign Office spokesman once again emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense. Responsibility for the suffering of Palestinian civilians lies with Hamas, he said. “Hamas started this cycle of violence with its brutal terrorist attacks and is now cowardly hiding behind the civilian population in the Gaza Strip,” the spokesman said. The Israeli side knows this and is therefore “trying to be as considerate as possible.”
It is “Hamas’ perfidious strategy to produce dead Palestinian civilians in order to then achieve propaganda successes,” said the spokesman. At the same time, Germany sees that the situation of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip is “terrible” and is committed to providing humanitarian support.