Killings, home demolitions reach new high in West Bank as UN warns of 'silent war'

The United Nations has warned that Israeli settlers and security forces have recently ramped up killings and harassment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday urged Israel to immediately stop the violence, as well as home demolitions across the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

"As the occupying power, Israel must take all feasible measures to ensure public order and safety in the West Bank," he said. "There must be thorough, independent and transparent investigations into all killings and all other alleged violations of international law."

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His comments echoed recent concerns raised by senior officials from other UN agencies over the surge in violence.

Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office, said Israeli settlers and security forces have "intensified their killings, attacks and harassment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem", in the past weeks.

These actions are "contributing to the ongoing consolidation of annexation of West Bank territory by Israel, in violation of international law", Al-Kheetan said.

According to the UN, at least 964 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since Oct 7,2023. During the same period, 35 Israelis were killed in reported Palestinian attacks or armed clashes in the West Bank, and another 18 in Israel.

Last month, the UN recorded 96 Palestinian injuries in the West Bank — the highest monthly toll in more than 20 years. In the first half of this year, there were 757 settler attacks resulting in Palestinian casualties or damage to property, marking a 13 percent increase year-on-year.

Juliette Touma, director of communications for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said a "silent war was surging there" and that people were cut off from employment and social benefits.

"This violence was now the longest since the second intifada in the early 2000s, and it was causing the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967," she said.

The United States became the latest victim of Israeli atrocities after its 20-year-old citizen Sayfollah Musallet was beaten to death on July 11, reportedly while trying to protect his family's farm from settlers.

'Terrorist act'

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Israel should "aggressively investigate the murder of Musallet". "There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act," he posted on X.

The victim's father, Kamel Musallet, told CNN that he holds the Israeli military "just as responsible for his son's death as the settlers who beat him and the American government for not doing anything about this".

On Tuesday, CNN's Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond and his crew were also attacked by Israeli settlers.

Belal Alakhras, a political analyst and researcher at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, told China Daily that when it comes to the deaths of US citizens overseas, the "identity of the perpetrator often mattered more than the act itself".

The killing of Musallet, he said, follows an established pattern with previous cases involving US citizens, such as the death of activist Rachel Corrie in 2003 and journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022 — incidents that triggered minimal US response, "certainly nothing approaching meaningful pressure or sanctions".

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"Washington's unwavering support for Israeli attacks — even when they endanger American lives or interests — reflects complex considerations that aren't purely geopolitical. Evangelical ideological factors also play a role," he said.

The US role in the conflict in Gaza, combined with its support for attacks on sovereign countries, is generating costs that may soon outweigh perceived benefits, with growing dissent challenging the US' longstanding ability to mask its regional policies behind the rhetoric of liberal internationalism and global leadership, he said.

Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com