Palestine slams settler violence, Israeli threats against West Bank cities

Palestine has condemned attacks by illegal Israeli settlers and official statements about destroying Palestinian cities and imposing sanctions on Palestinians.

"We denounce the inflammatory statements by Israeli officials to impose collective punishment, abuse Palestinians, and destroy residential areas in the West Bank,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had called on Monday for destroying the occupied West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus as the case in Jabalia in northern Gaza.

Illegal settlers also attacked several Palestinian towns in the occupied territory following the death of three Israelis in a shooting attack.

'The only way'

The ministry statement also condemned settler attacks and the burning of Palestinian cars and property in the occupied territory.

"These statements and attacks pour oil on fire, and are a deliberate escalation of conflict and violence," the ministry warned.

"Political solutions are the only way to maintain peace in the area," the ministry said, calling for international intervention "to enforce a two-state solution, protect the Palestinian people, and decisively act to stop the Israeli occupation's plans to seize thousands of dunams of land and annex the West Bank."

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 45,900 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 835 Palestinians have also been killed and nearly 6,700 others wounded by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian figures.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.