UN Secretary General Condemns Israel's Increase In Violence In The West Bank

Illustration of Israeli military operations in the West Bank. (Wikimedia Commons/IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

JAKARTA - United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the escalating violence by Israeli settlers, as well as calls for annexation following the announcement of the expansion of Israeli military operations in the West Bank, Palestine.

The UN Secretary-General's comments came after Israel on Sunday said its troops would remain for months in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank.

On the other hand, tens of thousands of Palestinians living there have been displaced due to increasingly intensive military operations.

"I am deeply concerned by the increasing violence in the West Bank occupied by Israeli settlers and other offenses, as well as calls for annexation," Secretary General Guterres told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

The military began a massive offensive against Palestinian resistance groups in the north of the West Bank a month ago, two days after a ceasefire was imposed in the Gaza Strip on January 19, the Palestinian enclave.

Attacks in the West Bank have gradually spread, including several refugee camps near Jenin City, Tulkarem and Tubas.

On Sunday, the Israeli military also announced the deployment of tanks in Jenin, where they "expanded" operations.

This marks the first time tanks have operated in the West Bank since the end of a second Palestinian intifada, or insurgency, in 2005.

Violence in the West Bank region has surged since the start of the Gaza war, which broke out following the Hamas deadly attack on October 7, 2023 in Israel.

On Monday, Secretary General Guterres also stressed the importance of a fragile ceasefire that has been in effect in Gaza since January 19.

"We are witnessing a precarious ceasefire. We must avoid by all means the resumption of hostilities. People in Gaza are already suffering too much," explained the Secretary General of the United Nations.

"It's time for a permanent ceasefire, the dignified release of all the remaining hostages, irreversible progress towards a two-state solution, an end to occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with Gaza as part of the integral," he said.