Germany voices ‘great concern’ over violence by illegal Israeli settlers in West Bank

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Monday voiced “great concern” over the latest round of violence by illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank and urged the Israeli government to take measures to protect Palestinians from violent attacks.

“We view the latest outbreaks of violence with great concern. Of course, this also applies above all to the violence that comes from extremist settlers,” Christian Wagner, a deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a press conference in Berlin.

“Israel, as the occupying power in the West Bank, has of course the duty and task to ensure security there, within the framework of the applicable law,” he added.

Settlement expansion has long been a thorny issue in German-Israel relations, as Berlin views it as a major obstacle to a potential two-state solution.

Estimates indicate about 700,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in roughly 300 settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Under international law, all Israeli settlements in occupied territories are considered illegal.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 34,000 people following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 485 Palestinians have since been killed and over 4,800 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.