United States: United States President Mr. Joe Biden has demanded an end to the attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Settler attacks against Palestinians have surged since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 and Israel’s continuing bombardment in Gaza.
According to Palestinian authorities, settler violence has killed several Palestinians. Rights groups stated that settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, as well as forced them to evacuate to other areas.
Mr. Biden noted that attacks by “extremist settlers” must end. “It has to stop. They have to be held accountable. It has to stop now,” the US President commented.
Mr. Biden remarked that settler attacks “pour gasoline” on an already dangerous situation. The US president also said he had doubts about the accuracy of the death toll from the ongoing fighting reported by Hamas authorities in Gaza.
“I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war,” Mr. Biden further stated.
The US President added that he has not directly sought assurances from Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will refrain from the ground invasion into Gaza before hostages can be released.
“What I have indicated to him is that if that’s possible, to get these folks out safely, that’s what he should do. It’s their decision. But I did not demand it. I pointed out to him, If it’s real, it should be done,” Mr. Biden told a news conference.
The West Bank Protection Consortium, a coalition of nongovernment organisations and donor countries, including the European Union, has reported that hundreds of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced by settler attacks.
Earlier, Mr. Netanyahu commented that “we have already killed thousands of terrorists, and this is only the beginning.”
“Simultaneously, we are preparing for a ground invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how, or how many. I will also not elaborate on the various calculations we are making, which the public is mostly unaware of, and that is how things should be,” the Israeli PM added.
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