In the West Bank, the Federal Foreign Minister asked Palestinians to describe the situation in the vicinity of Israeli settlements. She finds clear words.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called on the Israeli government to better protect Palestinians in the West Bank from attacks by Israeli settlers and to punish acts of violence.
“It is the responsibility of the Israeli government to implement and enforce the rule of law when there are attacks on people who live here legitimately and are attacked illegally,” said the Green politician on Monday while visiting a Palestinian community in the West Bank. It is the responsibility of the Israeli army to protect Palestinians from violent settlers.
The Foreign Minister received a description of the situation of the people in the Palestinian town of Al-Masraa al-Kiblija, northwest of Ramallah. The town with around 5,000 inhabitants is surrounded by several Israeli settlements.
Palestinian farmer describes settler violence
One affected farmer described, among other things, that he could no longer cultivate his vegetable and fruit fields because the settlers had blocked roads and attacked him and his family. He was hit in the head and sprayed with pepper spray. The 70-year-old retired teacher said his daughters were also attacked. The Israelis tried to set houses on fire and drove him out of his house, which is in a valley between the Palestinian town and the settlement. Settler violence increased again after the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7th.
Drone observes Baerbock’s visit
During the visit, Baerbock and her delegation were observed by a drone that was apparently launched by Israeli settlers. The head of a West Bank protection association, Allegra Pacheco, said around 1,200 Palestinians in the West Bank had been displaced from their land since October 7. A future ceasefire for the Gaza Strip must also include the West Bank.
Baerbock: Settlement construction undermines lasting peace
What is happening around the town in the West Bank is “illegal, under Israeli law and illegal under international law,” said Baerbock. The increase in violence in the West Bank since October 7th “also shows that stability in Gaza and the West Bank are closely linked.”
The Federal Foreign Minister emphasized the call for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. She emphasized: “Settlement construction is illegal. It undermines lasting peace and endangers the two-state solution and thus also endangers Israel’s security.” The two-state solution means that Israel and an independent, democratic Palestinian state live peacefully side by side.
Meeting with Foreign Minister Al-Malika
In Ramallah, Baerbock met Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki. In the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel conquered, among other things, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands of settlers now live there among around three million Palestinians. The Palestinians are demanding the territories for their own state.
Escalation in the conflict in the Hezbollah issue
In the afternoon, the Federal Foreign Minister wanted to speak to people from northern Israel in the Israeli coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv who had to flee their homeland in the conflict with the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. A meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant was also planned. This is also likely to be about the escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Israel responds with attacks on positions of the Iranian-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah.
In the evening the onward journey to Egypt was on the agenda. A meeting with Foreign Minister Samih Schukri is planned there on Tuesday.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented attack by the Islamist Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups on border towns in Israel on October 7th. According to Israeli information, around 1,200 people were killed and around 240 people were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, the number of Palestinians killed has now risen to more than 22,700, and more than 58,000 people were injured.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
