United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated today (Tuesday) that there must be accountability for the killing of more than 500 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7th last year by Israeli security forces and settlers.
Türk added in a statement: “As if the tragic events that occurred in Israel, and then in Gaza, over the past eight months were not enough, the residents of the occupied West Bank are subjected day after day to unprecedented bloodshed. It is entirely illogical that such a large number of lives are taken in this brutal manner,” according to the Arab News Agency.
He further stated: “Killings, destruction, and widespread human rights violations are unacceptable and must stop immediately. Israel must not only adopt rules of engagement that fully comply with the applicable human rights standards but also enhance their enforcement. There must be comprehensive and independent investigations into any allegations of unlawful killing and accountability for those responsible.”
Türk explained that “impunity for such crimes has been widespread for a very long time in the occupied West Bank. This impunity has created an enabling environment for more and more unlawful killings by Israeli security forces. International law must be respected and enforced, and accountability must be ensured.”
Türk also said that Israeli security forces “have been using lethal force as a first resort against Palestinian protesters who throw stones, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at their armored vehicles, in cases where those fired upon did not pose an imminent threat to life. The widespread deaths of Palestinians following gunfire to the upper part of their bodies, coupled with a pattern of obstructing medical assistance to the injured, indicate an intent to kill, a violation of the right to life, rather than a graduated use of force, and an attempt to calm tense situations.”
The UN Commissioner noted that “despite the absence of armed hostile acts in the occupied West Bank, Israeli security forces have carried out at least 29 military operations since October 7th, including airstrikes by drones or warplanes, and firing ground-to-ground missiles on refugee camps and other densely populated areas.”
He added that these operations resulted in the killing of 164 Palestinians, including 35 children.
