RAMALLAH, Thursday, February 4, 2021 (WAFA) – Palestine today called for the application of strong and deterrent sanctions against Israel over the demolition of a northern Jordan Valley community.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the demolition of Khirbet Humsa al-Fouqa community by Israeli occupation forces for the second time in 48 hours as "a war crime and a crime against humanity that serves as a manifestation of the mindset of colonialism, racism and hate dominating the governing regime of Israel."

"What the Israeli occupation forces perpetrated against the community amounts to an organized act of state terrorism committed by Israel, the occupying power, against the Palestinian people, property, and territory on a daily basis under the watch of the entire world and in total disregard of the international law, including the Geneva Conventions," the Ministry said in a statement.

While it welcomed the planned inspection visit of a European Union diplomatic delegation to the site, scheduled for today, it nevertheless stressed that such visits and condemnations are not sufficient as they fail to ensure protection for the displaced Palestinians.

"Condemnations will not deter Israel, the occupying state, against proceeding with the daily ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians in the Jordan Valley," it added.

It urged the international community to impose deterrent sanctions against Israel, the colonialist-settler state, and hold it accountable for its violations and crimes and treat it as a rogue state.

K.F./M.K.