UN condemns Israeli occupier takeover of Palestinian homes near Jericho
The UN on Thursday condemned an Israeli settler takeover of Palestinian homes near the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, which it said displaced dozens of Palestinians. “Settlers reportedly used live ammunition, physically assaulted Palestinian residents, and caused some injuries,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. He said Israeli forces then declared a closed military zone, “which has prevented our humanitarian partners from visiting those affected.”
Left out here: Leaves out who was behind it
The article never names who was behind the takeover. Other outlets reported that the Nachala settlement movement and the state-funded Binyamin Regional Council coordinated it, and that Israeli soldiers escorted the settler families into the homes. Without this, a reader may take the takeover for the act of a loose group of settlers rather than an organised, state-backed operation carried out under army escort.
How we know
- Times of Israel reported“The Nachala settlement organization and the Benyamin regional council say they jointly coordinated the project to buy the properties in secret, while IDF forces escorted the families to their new homes today.”Settlers establish outpost inside Palestinian city of Jericho, on border of PA-run area (opens in a new tab)
- The Jerusalem Post reported“after secretly coordinating their purchase with the Binyamin Regional Council, the Nachala Movement announced in collaboration with the council”Israeli settlers move into eight homes near PA-controlled Jericho in secret operation (opens in a new tab)
“We once again condemn all of these violent activities by the Israeli settlers,” Dujarric said. He said 377 occupier attacks causing casualties or damage to Palestinian property have been recorded since September during the olive harvest, the highest number since the UN humanitarian office OCHA began keeping records in 2006. One Palestinian was killed by an occupier, more than 200 were injured, and more than 3,850 olive trees and saplings were damaged or vandalized, he said.
Dujarric said 80,000 to 100,000 Palestinian families across the West Bank depend on the olive harvest for their livelihoods. “Safe access to livelihoods must be facilitated, and those responsible for attacks must be held to account,” he said.
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