Amman: Unrwa Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank has reached "record levels."
According to Jordan News Agency, in a statement, Lazzarini highlighted that the ongoing situation in the West Bank represents "Israel's underreported silent war." He detailed that since October 2023, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, including a significant number of children. This period has seen increased violence parallel to Israel's military actions in Gaza, with intensified activities by the Israeli army and settlers leading to killings, house demolitions, displacements, and colonial expansion. Lazzarini cited figures indicating that 1,110 Palestinians have been killed, over 11,500 injured, and more than 21,000 arrested.
Lazzarini further explained that Israeli settlers continue to attack unabated, with Palestinian communities facing constant intimidation and being uprooted from their land, often losing their livelihoods. He emphasized the prevailing impunity surrounding these actions, noting that tens of thousands remain displaced a year after Israel's "Iron Wall" operation, marking the largest displacement since 1967. Many displaced individuals are unable to return as their homes are gradually demolished.
He also pointed out the lack of global attention to the situation in the West Bank, contrasting it with the focus on Gaza. Lazzarini criticized the normalization of the disregard for international humanitarian law in the West Bank, underscoring the broader implications of the ongoing conflict.
The statement also mentioned that approximately 770,000 Israeli settlers reside in hundreds of settlements within the occupied West Bank, including 250,000 in East Jerusalem. These settlers are involved in daily attacks aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians.