Palestinians 'prey to violent acts' by illegal Israeli settlers in West Bank: Switzerland

LONDON

Switzerland on Thursday condemned the violence of illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, saying that those perpetrators must be held accountable.

"We must not lose sight of the situation in the West Bank, where violence has reached record levels," Pascale Baeriswyl, Swiss envoy to the UN, told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

Recalling last weekend's attacks against Palestinians around Ramallah and Nablus, she said: "The Palestinian population in particular is prey to violent acts by Israeli settlers."

"Switzerland condemns these acts and their consequences," noted Baeriswyl, adding those responsible must be held accountable.

She also mentioned that they create a “corrosive environment” that leads to the forced displacement of entire communities.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 33,900 people following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 468 Palestinians have since been killed and over 4,800 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.