Arab Parliament condemns surge in settler violence in occupied West Bank.

Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Mohammed al-Yamahi, has condemned in the strongest terms the alarming increase in violence perpetrated by terrorist settler militias, which are directly protected by Israeli forces, against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank. 

Yamahi said in a press statement on Saturday that the escalation has led to the deaths and injuries of numerous Palestinians, alongside the destruction of homes and property, as well as assaults on Palestinian villages and towns.

He noted that the situation represents a grave escalation, which equates to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Yamahi underscored that the coordinated terrorist assaults executed by settler militias in the West Bank, backed entirely by the fascist occupying regime, expose a deliberate strategy intended to instill fear in Palestinians, forcibly remove them from their territory, and enforce a colonial situation through coercion, in blatant contravention of international law, the Geneva Conventions, and resolutions of global legitimacy. 

He noted that the relentless killings and extrajudicial executions, as well as the surging assaults by settlers on defenseless civilians and their assets, signify the Tel Aviv regime’s intention to amplify its aggression in the West Bank.

This is happening in conjunction with its acts of genocide, starvation, and devastation in the Gaza Strip, in a bid to impose new realities on the ground and undermine the potential for a fair and comprehensive peace, the speaker for the Arab Parliament pointed out.

Four Palestinians killed in settler attack on occupied West Bank town

At least four Palestinians have been in violent attacks involving Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank.

He urged the international community, including the UN Security Council, and the International Criminal Court, to take immediate measures to ensure international protection for the Palestinian people, to put an end to settler terrorism, to hold accountable the Israeli authorities and the settlers involved in these offenses, to impose deterrent sanctions on Israel, and to cease all forms of support that enable the continuation of these serious violations.

Yamahi also called for the addition of settler militias and armed terrorist organizations to national and international terrorism lists, considering them as groups that commit organized terrorism against Palestinian civilians.

Furthermore, he requested a ban on dealings with settlements and the suspension of any privileges or agreements with the Tel Aviv regime until it fully complies with international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.

Yamahi pointed out that Israel's lack of accountability has led to a rise in its offenses, appealing to the international community to adopt effective and binding measures to stop the aggression, bring an end to the occupation, and realize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especially the creation of their independent and sovereign state with al-Quds as its capital.

The remarks came on the same day that Israeli forces abducted at least 70 Palestinians in various raids across the occupied West Bank, while eight other individuals sustained injuries in a separate assault by extremist Jewish settlers.

According to the official Voice of Palestine radio station, Israeli troops kidnapped more than 40 young Palestinian men during an ongoing raid in the town of Tell, located west of Nablus in the northern sector of the occupied territory.

The broadcaster added that Israeli forces took control of a residence in the town, and transformed it into a field interrogation center.

It was noted that Israeli forces were conducting extensive break-ins into homes throughout the town while encircling it from all sides.

‘West Bank under siege’ due to simultaneous Israeli raids and settler attacks

The Israeli regime has intensified its campaign of overnight military raids and coordinated settler attacks across the occupied West Bank.

Separately, Israeli forces abducted three Palestinians in the Bethlehem governorate.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that eight Palestinians sustained injuries, with six of them being shot by live ammunition, during an assault by illegal settlers on the village of Farata, located east of Qalqilya in the northwestern West Bank.

Further details about the attack or the condition of the injured have not been provided by the organization.

In the northern West Bank, the Israeli army rounded up at least six Palestinians during extensive raids in different neighborhoods and towns in Jenin, amidst a substantial military deployment and persistent troop movements.

The Israeli military also conducted a raid in the city of Tubas and the al-Far’a refugee camp in the northern West Bank, commencing an extensive campaign of raids targeting Palestinian households.

In the central flank of the West Bank, the Israeli military kidnapped 13 Palestinians from different locations within the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorates.

Israeli forces conducted a raid in al-Khalil, located in the southern West Bank, and abducted eight Palestinians.

On Friday, Netanyahu and the Israeli minister of military affairs, Israel Katz, commanded a “large-scale military offensive” in Palestinian villages throughout the West Bank after an assault near the illegal Havat Gilad settlement resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and injuries to three more.

As reported by various sources and witnesses, Israeli settlers subsequently launched attacks on multiple Palestinian communities within the Nablus governorate, igniting fires in Palestinian residences and other properties.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, four Palestinians lost their lives on Friday due to an assault by Israeli settlers and Israeli army forces in the town of Tell.

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