The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli "crimes against Palestinian citizens, their lands, properties, and holy sites" and called for considering Israeli operations in the West Bank as part of a strategic plan to annex it. This statement was published on the ministry's Facebook page (banned in Russia, owned by Meta Corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia).
"The ministry views with great concern the increasing number of incursions, which now extend to dozens of sites and residential areas in the West Bank and Jerusalem, marking them as targets for destruction and sabotage," emphasized the foreign ministry. It further pointed out that these attacks on Palestinians and their properties occur continuously, designed to instill fear and anxiety, diverting their focus from confrontation to defending their homes instead of their land. The Palestinian MFA labeled these actions as part of an official Israeli policy with the goal of annexing the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. It called upon the international community to take immediate measures to halt this escalating situation.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, as reported by the WAFA news agency, issued a warning about the "dangerous consequences of the occupation's crimes." These consequences encompass the intimidation of citizens, the destruction of their property, the demolition of infrastructure by military bulldozers, and the incursion of Jewish settlers into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. Shtayyeh also expressed condolences to the families of two Palestinians who lost their lives in an armed clash with the Israel Defense Forces near the West Bank town of Tulkarm on Thursday.
The Israeli military has been carrying out aggressions in the West Bank on an almost daily basis since April 2022, in response to terror attacks in cities within the Jewish state. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 200 Palestinians have lost their lives since the beginning of the year due to Israeli actions, primarily in the West Bank.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: أمين/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS