The United States (US) on Wednesday (28/8) rejected the idea of mass displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. This was emphasized after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for temporary evacuation of Palestinian civilians to continue operations.
“We reject the idea of mass displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. However, we recognize that local evacuation orders may be necessary in certain situations to protect civilian lives during sensitive counterterrorism operations,” a State Department spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said in response to Anadolu Agency’s questions.
Regarding Israel’s military offensive in the occupied West Bank, the spokesman said the US recognizes Israel’s very real security needs including countering terrorist activity in the West Bank.
“We also remain deeply concerned about maintaining stability in the West Bank and continue to urge Israel to take all appropriate measures to protect civilian lives in the West Bank as we urge them to do in Gaza,” the spokesman added. The Israeli army is in the midst of one of its largest military offensives in the occupied West Bank in two decades.
The operation included raids, airstrikes and the demolition of Palestinian roads and buildings in Jenin and the Tulkarem and Tubas refugee camps in the north. At least 10 Palestinians have been killed so far since the attacks began on Tuesday night.
The occupied West Bank has seen increasingly frequent and often deadly raids by the Israeli military amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
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The new deaths resulting from the operation so far bring the number of Palestinian casualties in the West Bank to 662 since October 7 last year, according to official figures from the Palestinian Health Ministry, with nearly 5,400 others injured.
Palestinian activist Suleiman al-Zuheiri told Anadolu that residents of Nour Shams refugee camp were given only four hours to evacuate on Wednesday.
Zuheiri said the Israeli army set up several military checkpoints at entry points to the refugee camp allowing residents to leave the area from certain exit points.
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In addition, according to Zuheiri, Israeli army bulldozers destroyed infrastructure in the Tulkarem and Nour Shams camps with the help of drones in the air.
Meanwhile, Palestinian assistant foreign minister Ahmed al-Deek told Anadolu Agency that Israel is copying the tactics of expelling Gazans in the West Bank and creating an environment that forces residents to leave.
The International Court of Justice in a landmark ruling on July 19 declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (Ant/Z-2)
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