According to the arriving reports, the unrest was triggered by Israeli settlers, who forcibly seized two homes belonging to Palestinian Arabs.
Advertisement
Kirby added, “And as for the relationship, it’s because we value the relationship with Israel so much that we feel it’s important to continue to have an honest, open, candid, forthright discussion about our concerns”.
“Settlement activities are a violation of global law and run counter to the public pronouncements of the government of Israel supporting a two-state solution to the conflict”, Ban said in a statement.
Israeli troops forcibly removed Jewish settlers from homes they said they had purchased from Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, prompting some right-wing Israeli lawmakers to threaten to withhold support for the government. “It is better, in the name of law and order, that Yaalon take care of the PA and leftist activists who execute Palestinians who dare to sell homes or lands to Jews”.
Hebron, which is home to around 200,000 Palestinians, also comprises a community of around 500 settlers, protected by Israeli forces.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said Yaalon’s move was “scandalous”, while Diaspora Affairs Minister Zeev Elkin described it as “wrong”.
More than 160 Palestinians, including children and women, have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of last October. One of the major tasks of the PA security forces, say Israeli analysts, is to prevent terror attacks by Hamas supporters on the West Bank aimed at drawing an Israeli crackdown and chaos that would eventually lead to Hamas supporters displacing Abbas.
The move follows diplomatic clashes this week between Washington and Jerusalem, as U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro angered Israeli state representatives by issuing a statement that the USA was concerned and perplexed by Israel’s West Bank policy.
Palestinian officials have slammed Israel for violating global law.
Also alarming to Israel has been an global movement calling for boycotts against settlement products or any company doing business in the West Bank.
Tensions are high since Israel’s imposition in August of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out attacks and numerous assailants have been young people, including teenagers.
Advertisement
Israel is hoping that in any final agreement with the Palestinians it will be able to keep large settlement blocs including in the Jordan Valley, both for security and agricultural purposes.
