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Palestine condemns Israel's Jenin attack as 'dangerous escalation'

Accusing Israel of "settler colonialism and crimes of persecution, oppression and abuse," Palestinian Foreign Ministry calls for appropriate international response.

AP

The raid triggered clashes with angry local residents during which Israeli forces used live fire, tear gas canisters and sound bombs. / Photo: AP

Palestine has condemned Israel’s use of a military helicopter during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, which killed five Palestinians and injured 91 others.

An Israeli military helicopter fired missiles at a residential building during the raid early on Monday, marking the first use of military aircraft by Israel in the occupied West Bank since 2002, witnesses said.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry termed Israel’s use of a military helicopter during the raid as a “dangerous escalation” that came as “an attempt by Israel’s ruling coalition to export its internal crisis and problems to the Palestinian scene.”

The ministry called for a firm stance from the United States and the international arena “that rises to the level of what our people are facing from settler colonialism and crimes of persecution, oppression and abuse.”

The United Nations rights chief, Volker Turk, said he was "extremely worried by the deteriorating situation" in Palestine.

"Unlawful killings of Palestinians by the Israeli security forces have increased, including apparent extrajudicial executions," he added.

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'Open war'

The Palestinian Authority said it will convene an emergency meeting to discuss the repercussions of the Israeli raid in Jenin.

“A fierce and open war is being waged against the Palestinian people politically, security and economically by the occupation forces,” Hussein Al-Sheikh, Secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s Executive Committee, said in a statement.

“We are in the midst of a comprehensive battle on all fronts that requires the unity of our people in the face of this aggression,” he added.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank in recent months amid repeated Israeli raids into Palestinian towns.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. The territory is home to around 2.9 million Palestinians, as well as over 500,000 illegal Jewish settlers.

Nearly 165 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of this year, according to Palestinian figures. At least 21 Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.