Deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is “reaching a boiling point”, the UN envoy for West Asia told the Security Council and warned of escalating violence.
Israel is on course to set yet another record for murdering Palestinians this year. Its ongoing deadly night-time raids to crack down on Palestinians waging a series of retaliatory operations in response have failed to materialize.
Activists say attempts by the occupation to lobby its allies to help put an end to a Palestinian at the United Nations for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the Tel Aviv regime’s occupation of Palestinian territories may not be successful either as global sympathy is switching to the Palestinians.
Nevertheless, that has not stopped the Israeli slaughter of Palestinian civilians in particular minors.
The indigenous Palestinians are carrying out their own deadly operations in the occupied West Bank as well as the occupied Palestinian territories.
As Israel mainly targets the youth, the emergence of newly formed Palestinian resistance groups in the occupied West Bank is packed with the younger generation among their ranks.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, the UN's Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland called for stronger international commitment towards ending the violence saying that "after decades of persistent violence, illegal settlement expansion, dormant negotiations, and deepening occupation, the conflict is again reaching a boiling point."
He reported that high levels of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel-occupied Palestinian territories in recent months have resulted in grave suffering.
According to Wennesland, this includes attacks against Palestinian civilians as well as Israeli settlers, increased use of arms, and settler-related violence.
Last week, two Israelis were killed, and more than a dozen injured, in bombings at al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Days before, Israeli settlers viciously attacked Palestinians in Hebron.
The Israeli occupation itself has acknowledged a "steep rise" in settler attacks against Palestinian families in occupied West Bank towns and villages.
The settlers, who are squatting on the indigenous land of the Palestinians, are both armed and enjoy the support of the Israeli military.
Rights groups have been slamming the Israeli military for standing idly by and watching on as their settlers attack Palestinian homes.
This trend is expected to rise with a newly formed far-right extremist Israeli coalition cabinet - led by the war criminal and longest-serving Israeli ruler Benjamin Netanyahu - calling for the expansion of settlements in violation of international law.
The new mafia in the Israeli cabinet has already approved plans for the construction of hundreds of new settler units in the central parts of the occupied West Bank in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.
“This surge in violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is taking place in the context of a stalled peace process and entrenched occupation, and amidst mounting economic and institutional challenges faced by the Palestinian Authority,” Wennesland said.
“Global trends and declining donor support have compounded these challenges."
Furthermore, the “fragile calm” in the besieged Gaza Strip (blockaded since 2007) when airstrikes by the Israeli warplanes defense forces prompted the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance to launch four rockets at Israeli targets.
“Once again, we are reminded that the mix of militant activity (referring to the Palestinian resistance), debilitating closures, absence of the legitimate Palestinian Government, and hopelessness create an ever-present risk of escalation,” he said.
Wennesland and his team have continued to hold discussions with Palestinian and Israeli officials, and with international and regional actors.
In May, the UN worked with partners to mediate and support ceasefires in Gaza, and earlier in the year when Israel took the unprecedented step of waging a three-day war on Gaza without using its usual allegation that Palestinians had fired rockets.
But the Israeli attacks that massacred dozens of children did not last longer than three days reflecting the growing strength and capabilities of the Gaza-based resistance.
The UN claims measures were implemented to support the local economy in Gaza, including improvements to movement and access in and out of the besieged territory, for both people and goods.
The residents of the Gaza Strip (also referred to as the largest open-air prison in the world) beg to differ.
Critical projects were carried out, Wennesland said, such as providing fuel to the Gaza power plant and assistance to more than 100,000 needy families, which will continue into the coming year.
Other envoys at the Security Council meeting say this is simply not enough for the more than two million Gazans living in the tiny coastal sliver.
The UN special envoy agreed that "restrictions and delays continue, which negatively impact humanitarian and development efforts."
“Preventive and de-escalation measures and diplomatic engagements have helped maintain calm on the ground and provide some space for progress, but without tangible movement on the political track, their benefits are likely to be short-lived,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority faces significant institutional challenges, he added.
“This is taking place against the backdrop of changing dynamics in the region, shifting international priorities, and more recently, the fallout of the conflict in Ukraine, which have significantly reduced the attention paid to this conflict,” said Wennesland.
The envoy outlined three related actions aimed at moving the sides forward on fundamental issues.
“First, we must continue to engage with the parties to reduce tensions and counter negative trends, particularly those impacting final status issues. This will involve reining in violence and incitement and holding perpetrators accountable. This means that both sides stop unilateral steps that undermine peace, including settlement expansion or legalization, demolitions, and displacement,” he said.
As Israeli settlement activity expands, so does the indiscriminate demolition drive of Palestinian homes, which is only one aspect of Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign efforts.
His second point called for improving access, movement, and trade to create room for the Palestinian economy to grow.
A more comprehensive approach to easing restrictions on the movements of people and goods in Gaza is also required, among other measures.
For his final point, Wennesland highlighted the need to strengthen Palestinian institutions, improve governance and shore up the fiscal health of the Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority must also be strengthened,” he further stated to help ease tensions.
“Without implementing points one and two above, this will not be possible,” he added.
Wennesland recognized that advancing these steps “will be a formidable task” under the current circumstances. He called for greater commitment from the international community, as well as coordinated and sustained attention, resources, and engagement with the parties.
After the Security Council meeting, the Palestinian Envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said the UN has a responsibility to step in to "provide protection to the Palestinian civilian population."
"The Security Council, which is a mighty force, the most powerful force in the UN for the maintenance of international peace and security – to describe without acting is pathetic," he said.
The UN envoy also says the global body plays a critical role in anchoring and affirming the international consensus on how this conflict will ultimately be resolved.
Wennesland told the meeting that "clearly, circumstances have changed in the three decades since Israelis and Palestinians first embarked on the peace process. Neither can turn away from the realities of geography and demography that are reshaping the landscape, which, when combined with [fast] expanding settlements east of the 1967 lines, reflects an increase in friction points and a deepening conflict."
"The UN and the international community – including through regional and international frameworks – must support the parties in moving towards a political horizon aligned with the core principles outlined above.
Despite the bleakness of this moment, and in fact because of it, I encourage all of us to recommit to this ambitious but achievable goal."
The warnings came as the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that a further three Palestinians were shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday.
One was killed in Beit Ummar in the south of the West Bank, and the two others, siblings, were killed in the village of Kafr Ein near Ramallah, and dozens of others sustained injuries as the regime's forces raided towns and villages.
It's been a deadly year for the Palestinians with the Israeli entity's military murdering more than 200 this year alone and injuring tens of thousands of others.
Palestinians argue that the era of peace talks is over having witnessed how U.S. mediation has sided with Israel, with the regime expanding its occupation following every round of negotiations without any criticism or action from the U.S.
The Palestinian Authority has noted that Russia can play the role of a mediator in any future peace talks.
As for Palestinian residents and the Palestinian resistance, they say the only way to achieve freedom and liberate their land is through armed resistance.