Israel needs to stop encouraging settler violence, Palestinian FM says
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The Palestinian foreign ministersaid that Israel has a responsibility to protect Palestinians in the West Bank, but instead supports settler violence. She also argued that the war involving Iran has further pushed Palestinian aspirations for statehood to the margins.
In an interview with Euronews, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin said Israeli forces often fail to intervene in attacks by settlers, and at times are directly involved. She described the situation as “very serious” and called for immediate action to stop the violence.
According to the UN, attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank have risen sharply since the October 2023 Hamas-led assault on Israel, with a further increase amid wider regional tensions, including the conflict involving Iran and Israel’s operations in Lebanon.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed security forces to curb such incidents, and the army has redeployed troops to the West Bank, Aghabekian said these steps fall short. She insisted that a broader policy shift is needed, accusing Israeli authorities of using settlers to intimidate Palestinians.
She also criticised Israel’s move to reinstate the death penalty for certain attacks, calling it discriminatory and lacking legal basis, as it disproportionately targets Palestinians.
