The Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific, Khaled Khiari, told the Security Council on Thursday (27 July) that “the deterioration of the security situation in the occupied West Bank has continued, punctuated by a two-day Israeli operation in Jenin, the most intensive of its kind in nearly twenty years.”
Khiari said, “This deterioration is taking place alongside ongoing unilateral steps that undermine a two-State solution, the absence of a peace process, and the continuing economic challenges facing Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority (PA).”
The Assistant Secretary-General added, “All parties must take urgent steps to stop the downward spiral and engage with each other to seek a constructive path forward.”
“Israel has the obligation to protect Palestinians and their property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and ensure prompt, independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into all acts of violence," he said.
Khiari said, “As the Secretary-General has noted, security forces must exercise maximum restraint and use lethal force only when strictly unavoidable to protect life. I am appalled that children continue to be the victims of violence and that militant factions have claimed some as members.”
Khiari also said that he is “deeply alarmed by the scale of violence and scope of destruction” witnessed in recent weeks, particularly during the 3-4 July IS operation and ensuing armed exchanges in Jenin, as well as the attacks this past month that have targeted Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
“I reiterate the call on all parties to take concrete steps to de-escalate tensions on the ground and ensure that all civilians are protected,” he said.
