RAMALLAH, Wednesday, June 21, 2023 (WAFA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said today that the crime of Huwara is being repeated again, and the settler militia, their elements and armed terrorist organizations are expanding the area of their attacks and assaults against defenseless Palestinian civilians, their property, and their crops.
It said in a statement that it is following the settlors’ terrorism at all international levels and continues to submit periodic reports to the International Criminal Court, while exerting efforts with countries to urge them to include settler organizations that commit crimes against the Palestinian people in the terrorist lists, to pursue them and prevent them from entering their lands, and prosecute them in their courts, particularly since a number of the criminals move around using passports and nationalities of these countries.
Referring to the settlers’ attacks yesterday evening against several Palestinian towns and villages, most notably al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, al-Lubban al-Gharbiya, Huwara, and Orif, which resulted in the injury of dozens of people, the Foreign Ministry condemned the settler gangs’ impunity from any law or deterrent and their continuous crimes against the Palestinian people.
It said that it believes that no lessons have been drawn from the first Huwara crime, not only on how to protect Palestinian villages and towns from the Jewish terrorists but also from the international community, which raised an uproar that lasted for several days about the first Huwara crime and was silent about the second Huwara crime.
The ministry was referring to the February 26 pogrom in Huwara by Jewish settlers who rampaged through the town and other nearby Palestinian villages, setting fire to houses, crops, and vehicles, during which one Palestinian was killed and many others injured. The incident drew international uproar after Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for wiping Huwara off the map.
The Foreign Ministry concluded its statement by saying: “It became clear that the Israeli government was the one that learned the lessons, as it realized the absence of any action plan as a result of the first crime, and also realized that the international reactions did not go beyond condemnations and expressions of concern, which provided it with immunity from any future reactions and encouraged the extremist settler terrorists to recommit more of these crimes.”
M.K.
