Several Western countries raised their voices to Israel over the violence provoked by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Friday, December 15. Tel Aviv is currently facing an international outcry on this issue, as atrocities committed against Palestinians have exploded since 7 October.
Western nations and the European Union Friday urged Israel to “take concrete steps to halt unprecedented violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank,” in a joint statement published by France’s foreign ministry.
The call from Australia, Britain, Canada, France, the European Union and several other European countries—but notably excluding Germany and the United States—highlighted “an unprecedented number of attacks perpetrated by extremist settlers” since early October that they said had claimed eight Palestinian lives and wounded 83 people.
Reiterating that Israel’s settlement policy “is illegal under international law,” the signatories of Friday’s statement said that “as the occupying power, Israel must protect Palestinian civilians in the West Bank” and “bring those responsible for this violence to justice.”
Friday’s statement comes days after EU chief Ursula von der Leyen backed imposing sanctions on “extremist” Israeli settlers—although not all of the bloc’s 27 nations agree.
While some members such as Spain have sharply criticized Israel’s response to Hamas’ October 7 attack, others including Germany stand firmly behind the state.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and in recent months troops have carried out repeated deadly raids on the Jenin refugee camp in the territory’s north.
More than 280 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the war in Gaza erupted on October 7, health officials say.
Malo Pinatel, with AFP
