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Occupation & violence

The United Nations has voiced concern about the humanitarian situation in the occupied West Bank as Israel has ramped up its violence against Palestinians there. The UN human rights chief says the surge of violence in the occupied territory could spiral out of control. Volker Turk has called for an immediate end to the violence in the West Bank, saying it is leaving an impact on the humanitarian situation. He urged the Israeli regime to undertake its obligations under international humanitarian law. The UN official referred to the latest flare-up that left ten Palestinians dead in the Jenin refugee camp this week. He blamed it on the Israeli regime over its increasing use of advanced military weapons against Palestinians. Turk emphasized that the Israeli occupation must end in order for the whole violence to come to a halt.

Israeli attacks

Israeli settlers backed by the army have rampaged through several areas in the occupied West Bank. The settlers attacked the city of Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, and tried to infiltrate it by starting a fire at the entrance. However, Palestinian youths blocked them and forced the settlers to retreat. Israeli troops then fired live rounds at the Palestinians, injuring several. Regime forces also wounded dozens of anti-settlement Palestinian protesters near Nablus. More than 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live in occupied Palestinian territories. The settlements are illegal under international law and the UN Security Council has criticized them in several resolutions.

Eurozone in recession

A survey shows that Eurozone economic activity has worsened to a five-month low as industrial production falls in the bloc. The euro zone’s flash composite Purchasing Managers’ Index dropped to 50.3 in June from 52.8 the month before. The survey by S&P Global showed that new business orders have fallen since January, leading to slowing employment growth and increasing pessimism over future production. The Eurozone has been experiencing a technical recession since the start of the year. The European Central Bank has tightened monetary policy in response to staggering inflation. Also on Thursday, the British, Swiss and Norwegian central banks announced benchmark interest rate increases. The European central banks have not ruled out further interest rate hikes. Higher rates can lead to higher costs for companies and impede output.

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