LONDON, Monday, April 22, 2024 (WAFA) - An alarming spike in violence by Israeli colonial settlers against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank in recent days highlights the urgent need to dismantle illegal colonies, end Israel’s occupation of the occupied Palestinian Territory and its longstanding system of apartheid, said Amnesty International.

Amnesty International, in a statement, stressed that the appalling spike in colonists’ violence against Palestinians in recent days is part of a decades-long state-backed campaign to dispossess, displace and oppress Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, under Israel’s system of apartheid.

“Israeli forces have a track record of enabling settler violence and it is outrageous that once again Israeli forces stood by and in some cases took part in these brutal attacks,” said Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

“Establishing Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories flagrantly violates international law and constitutes a war crime. Violence is integral to the establishment and expansion of these settlements and to sustaining apartheid. It’s time for the world to recognize this and pressure Israeli authorities to abide by international law by immediately halting settlement expansion and removing all existing settlements.”

It said that colonial settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, were already systematic but have increased since October 7^th of last year. According to B’Tselem, settler violence has already displaced nearly 20 communities since then.

In February the US government in February imposed sanctions on four violent Israeli settlers accused of involvement in attacks in the West Bank. The UK and France followed suit. A further round of sanctions was issued by the Biden administration on 19 April, noted Amnesty International.

“The latest attacks are a stark reminder that imposing sanctions on individual violent settlers fails to address the root causes of the violence including relentless settlement expansion and Israel’s occupation and system of apartheid,” said Heba Morayef.

“The failure to address these root causes and to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law is enabling the continued dispossession and oppression of Palestinians.”

T.R.