UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned Friday that violence in the occupied West Bank is reaching a dangerous level and threatens to spiral out of control. In a statement, Turk said that “recent deaths and violence, coupled with inflammatory rhetoric, only serve to drive Israelis and Palestinians deeper into an abyss.”
Since the beginning of the week, around a dozen people, mostly Palestinians, have lost their lives in the West Bank due to Israeli military incursions or attacks perpetrated by Palestinians or Israeli settlers. These deaths bring to more than 200 the number of people killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so far this year.
The High Commissioner urgently called on Israel to review its policies and actions in the occupied West Bank in accordance with international human rights standards, including the protection of and respect for the right to life. He further noted that, as an occupying power, Israel has an obligation under international humanitarian law to maintain law, order, and security in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Turk emphasized that an end to this violence requires an end to the occupation. “All parties involved, the people in power, know this and must take immediate steps to achieve this,” the High Commissioner said.