RAMALLAH, Saturday, August 5, 2023 (WAFA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the Israeli settlers’ shooting and killing of an unarmed Palestinian youth in the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah, stressing that the rise in settler terrorism in the occupied territories is a direct result of Israeli government impunity and incitement.

Armed settlers last night broke into the village of Burqa to set up an outpost on village land and when they were confronted by the residents, they opened live fire at them killing Qusai Maatan, 19, and wounding several others. They also set two vehicles on fire.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Israeli government’s failure to punish the terrorist settlers for their crimes against Palestinian civilians in the past encouraged them to continue to commit more crimes, accusing members of the far-right Israeli government, the like of Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, of inciting to commit these crimes.

“These attacks and crimes are part of an integrated official work system that oversees the utilization of settler militias to displace the Palestinians and steal their lands in a clear exchange of roles between the political and military levels in the occupying state on the one hand, and the settlement associations and Jewish subversive organizations, on the other, with the aim of expanding control and seizing large areas of the Palestinian lands, particularly in Area C, through the establishment of new settlement outposts and the creation of a fait accompli through intimidation by force in order to achieve the Zionist colonial and racist project of annexing the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” said the Ministry.

It warned of the repercussions and consequences of these attacks and crimes on the entire situation, holding the Israeli occupation government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu and its various arms fully and directly responsible for these attacks, calling on all regional and international parties to assume their responsibilities and do what international law requires of them in protecting the Palestinian people.

The Foreign Ministry said that it is following up on these violations with all countries and international bodies, particularly with the International Criminal Court, in order to expose the occupation and its crimes until there is a serious international investigation that will hold Israeli war criminals and terrorist settlers accountable for their crimes.

M.K.