Stop violent escalation in the West Bank

We strongly condemn the Israeli forces escalating the ongoing violence in the occupied West Bank by besieging the Jenin refugee camp in the biggest attack in nearly two decades. As 1,000 troops assaulted the city this week, 12 Palestinians were reportedly killed and hundred others injured. Though the Israeli army has now retreated, Israel's far-right government led by Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the "counterrorism" attack – which followed the killing of four Israelis by two Palestinian gunmen – was "not a one-off operation," burying the smallest of hopes that the escalation could be a short-lived episode. If anything, the ongoing crisis in the West Bank raises the possibility of a third intifada, and lays bare Israel's brazen disinterest in the "two-state" solution.

The latest incursion was an inevitable consequence of surmounting violent clashes prompted, for the most part, by the Israeli military in the name of "self-defence." In May 2022, prominent Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead when covering the Israeli raids of Palestinian homes in Jenin. This year, so far, more than 130 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, suggesting that the total death toll may surpass last year's count. Vigilante settler violence has also dramatically increased in the conflict zone, with the Israeli government's policy of annexing the West Bank. And that has only been possible with indifference, and in some cases, shameful support from powerful nations such as the United States.

While Israeli forces stormed the jam-packed refugee camp in Jenin, pushing thousands of Palestinians to abandon their homes, the Biden administration said it supported Israel's right to "defend its people against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups." The European Union and other nations who have engaged in calls for peace have done little to contain Israel's violent occupation. The fear of spiralling violence is now higher than ever before, and to characterise Israel's misuse of its military power as anything but apartheid is politics of convenience. While we condemn Netanyahu's extremist policies, we also condemn complicit enablers of Israel's impunity. With little support globally, Palestinians continue to lose their lives and homes. But if Palestinian lives do indeed matter, then the international community must stand by the two-state solution and hold Israel accountable