Israel: Israel is exploiting regional crises to intensify illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, the top Palestinian diplomat has said, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.
According to Anadolu Agency, speaking during a briefing to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the State of Palestine on Tuesday, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin warned that Israel is accelerating policies aimed at expanding illegal settlements and imposing permanent control over Palestinian land. She said Israeli authorities are taking advantage of the international community's focus on regional crises to advance annexation efforts through settlement expansion and legislative and administrative measures.
Shahin noted that such policies undermine the two-state solution and threaten the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. The minister added that illegal Israeli settlers carry out organized daily attacks targeting Palestinians and their property, including killings, physical assaults, arson attacks on homes and vehicles, destruction of agricultural land, and seizure of resources, 'under the direct protection of the Israeli army.'
She also highlighted that seven Palestinians have been killed by illegal Israeli settlers since Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched their attacks on Iran, which are still ongoing. The death toll in the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023 has reached 42, based on Palestinian government data.
The foreign minister pointed to ongoing violations against Islamic holy sites, including the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the start of the Iran war, and restrictions preventing worshippers from performing prayers during Ramadan. Shahin described the measures as 'a clear violation of freedom of worship.'
She called on the international community to take legal and practical steps to stop the violations and provide protection for Palestinians in line with international law and relevant resolutions. Since the start of the Gaza war, attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers in the West Bank have resulted in 1,133 Palestinian deaths and injuries to about 11,700 others, in addition to the arrest of around 22,000 people, according to official Palestinian figures.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, resulting in around 1,300 deaths, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it claims are targeting US military assets, causing casualties, damage to infrastructure, and disruption to global markets and aviation.