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An alarming spike in violence by Israeli settlers and occupation forces against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank including Jerusalem in recent days highlights the urgent need to dismantle illegal settlements and end Israel’s occupation of Palestine and its longstanding system of apartheid.
Ambassador of Palestine to Zimbabwe, Dr. Tamer Almassri said Israeli settlers have assaulted, tortured, stole their belongings and livestock, threatened to kill them if they did not leave permanently, and destroyed their homes and schools under the cover of the ongoing genocide war in Gaza.
He argues that Israeli settlers, empowered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fascist government, have increased their attacks on and harassment of Palestinian rural communities since the start of the genocide war in Gaza. This is often done with the backing of the Israeli military, as Israeli soldiers stand guard, preventing a Palestinian response. Sometimes, the attacks take place with the military’s involvement.
The Ambassador said establishing Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories flagrantly violates international law and constitutes a war crime.
“Violence is integral to the establishment and expansion of these settlements and to sustaining apartheid. It’s time for the world to recognize this and pressure Israeli authorities to abide by international law by immediately halting settlement expansion and removing all existing settlements,” said Ambassador Almassri
“The Israeli policies of settlement, settler terrorism, and ethnic cleansing is to simply disregard any Palestinian claims to a national home and instead support settler violence to further Israel’s expropriation of Palestinian land to achieve its goals of full annexation.
“Palestinian people will continue to resist this last apartheid and occupations state of the 21st century using all means necessary that is permitted at international law to achieve an independent state of Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital. Despite their sufferings, Palestinians will not raise the white flag,” he added.