Finland slams Israel's forced eviction of Palestinians in West Bank as against 'international law'

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) – The Finnish Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned Israel's military assault on the occupied West Bank, saying forced evictions of Palestinians "are against international law."

The escalation of Israeli military offensives in Jenin is exacerbating an already fragile situation, it said.

“The expansion of settlements as well as the alarmingly increased settler violence and forced evictions of Palestinians are against international law and run counter to international efforts to de-escalate the situation,” the Foreign Ministry responded to Anadolu's questions via email.

The ministry’s comments come after Israel faced a backlash from European Union and US, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell saying on Thursday that he will urge all 27 member states in the bloc to support sanctions against Israeli ministers accused of spreading hatred toward Palestinians.

“We are concerned by the increased violence in the West Bank and are monitoring the situation closely. We urge all parties to de-escalate the situation and refrain from provocative actions and statements.

“The EU has adopted sanctions against violent settlers and is providing an emergency financial support package of 400 million euros to address the Palestinian Authority’s financial needs and to support its reform agenda,” the ministry said.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army began military raids in the occupied territories, described as the largest attack on the West Bank since 2002.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched its brutal war on Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

More than 40,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, while over 93,000 others are injured, according to Gaza’s local health authorities.

Nearly eleven months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on 6 May.