Palestinian Authority denounces “full-scale war” by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank

The Presidency of the Palestinian Authority has condemned on Tuesday the “full-scale war” launched by settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and warned of an “explosion” if measures are not taken to put an end to the upsurge of such incidents in recent months.

Palestinian Authority Presidency spokesman Nabil abu Rudeina has pointed out that the Israeli Army and “extremist settlers” are responsible for attacks on towns, villages and refugee camps and denounced “terrorist attacks” by settlers against civilians and holy sites.

“We call on the international community and the United Nations Security Council to intervene urgently to provide international protection for the Palestinian people,” he said, before stressing that Israel “exploits international silence” to maintain its aggression.

He also warned against calls by “extremist Jews” to storm the Esplanade of the Mosques – known as the Temple Mount by Jews – on Thursday, in the framework of a Jewish holiday, as reported by the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

“Islamic and Christian holy sites are a ‘red line’ and we will not allow any harm to be done to them. If Israel wants to stop the dangerous escalation taking place in the Palestinian territories, it must stop its crimes and put an end to settler attacks,” Abu Rudeina reiterated.

Abu Rudeina’s remarks come hours after settler groups attacked schools and closed roads in several parts of the West Bank, especially in the Nablus district, according to sources quoted by WAFA. These incidents have increased over the past few days and, according to Palestinians, are backed by the Israeli army.

Thus, dozens of settlers have attacked early Tuesday morning a high school in the West Bank town of Hauara, while others have closed several crossings and roads around Nablus. They have also blocked roads leading to Ramallah.

For its part, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for “immediate steps” to stop the violence against civilians and prevent an escalation of the situation in the West Bank.

“It is unacceptable that civilians are being injured or killed in these episodes of violence. It is of great concern that children in nearby schools are witnessing this level of violence and are all too often the victims of violence,” said the head of the agency’s sub-delegation in the West Bank, Arnaud Meffre.

He has therefore called on “all armed actors” to “take all possible measures” to “protect and respect civilians, their property and essential infrastructure.” “Any use of force must take place in line with the norms and standards of international law,” he has argued.

Along these lines, Meffre explained that “health workers play a key role in saving lives” and defended that “Palestinian Red Crescent staff and volunteers have been at the forefront of the response to urgent humanitarian needs.”

“Ensuring that they are safe and able to carry out their work is crucial to ensure the continued care of affected communities,” he explained, while stressing that “only political steps aimed at resolving the conflict can halt the dangerous deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly in the West Bank.”

The U.S. government last week expressed its “deep concern” over the “deteriorating security situation” in the West Bank and called on Israeli and Palestinian authorities to “do everything possible” to “return to a period of calm.”

Israeli military operations and incursions have been concentrated in recent times in the West Bank regions of Nablus and Jenin, amid an upsurge in tensions and in the face of Palestinian Authority warnings of a possible outbreak of violence.

Israeli authorities put security forces on high alert in late September ahead of the upcoming Jewish holidays — Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot — while the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) warned of “repercussions” from visits by Jewish worshippers to the Esplanade of the Mosques during these holidays.