The Israeli settlers and the security forces have intensified their murders, their attacks and the harassment of the Palestinians in recent weeks in the occupied West Bank, notably Jerusalem-Est, the United Nations Human Rights Office warns.
Violence also includes the demolitions of hundreds of houses and the displacement of forced mass of the Palestinians as well as annexations of more land in violation of international law, said Thameen al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on Tuesday to journalists in Geneva.
The warning of the United Nations organ came while the number of Palestinian deaths in the West Bank, closer to 1,000 since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and Israeli forces launched their genocidal campaign in Gaza, where more than 58,000 Palestinians were killed.
According to the UN, at least 964 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank. At least 2,907 home demolitions were also carried out by Israel during the same period.
The UN issued its warning Tuesday on the heels of the murder of the 20-year-old American citizen, Sayfollah Mussallet, who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers from the city of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah on Friday.
“Israel must immediately stop these murders, harassment and demolitions at home through occupied Palestinian territory,” said Al-Kheetan in a separate declaration published on the Ochch website.
“As a power of occupation, Israel must take all measures achievable to ensure public order and security in the West Bank.”
Since January, there have been 757 settlers against the Palestinians or their properties, which represents an increase of 13% compared to the same period last year, said the OHCH.
In January, Israel also launched a major military operation called “Iron Wall”, forcibly shifting 30,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, added the agency.
The OHCHR also accused Israeli forces of dismissing “living ammunition on non -armed Palestinians”, including those who try to return home in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps.
The intensity of the violence of Israeli settlers and forces has so much alarmed the Palestinians that many, including residents of the old town of Hebron, were forced to transform their houses into cages, putting barbed wire on their windows to protect themselves.
Hébron’s resident Areej Jabari told Tel Aviv Tribune that despite the protection wire, his family still does not feel safe.
“The barbed wire cannot protect from all the thread that the colonists throw us and the balls and tear gas often pulled by Israeli forces,” she said.
Some parts of Hebron, where around 35,000 Palestinians live and 700 Israeli settlers, are under Israeli military control.
Jabari said that when she tried to document one of the attacks, Israeli forces broke into her residence, broke the glass windows and grabbed her camera and memory card.
The OHCHR said that Israeli forces have often used unnecessary or disproportionate strength, including deadly force, against the Palestinians “who did not threaten an imminent threat to life”.
The youngest of the victims was Laila al-Khatib, two years old, who was slaughtered by the Israeli forces in January when she was inside her house in the village of Ash-Shuhada in the governorate of Jenin.
On July 3, Walid BDEIR, 61, was shot by Israeli forces, was said to have been due to the Maison des Prayers and would have crossed the outskirts of the Nur Shams camp.
In June, the UN said it had recorded the monthly number of Palestinians ‘highest injuries in more than two decades with 96 Palestinians injured in Israeli settlers’ attacks.
Al-Kheetan said that Israel was obliged as a force of occupation to protect the Palestinians against settlers’ attacks. He called for an “independent and transparent” investigation into murders.
“Managers must be held to report,” said Al-Kheetan.
On Monday, the best church leaders and diplomats from more than 20 countries also called on Israeli settlers to be held responsible during a city visit to the Christian predominance of Taybeh after recent attacks in the village of the West Bank.
