Palestine calls for placing Israeli settler groups on terror lists amid violence

By Awad Rajoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestine called Sunday for placing Israeli settler groups on terror lists amid violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said "extremist settler gangs" continue to commit “crimes and violations” against Palestinians, including burning farmlands and vandalizing Palestinian property.

“We appeal for an urgent international intervention to halt crimes perpetuated by settler gangs,” the ministry said.

It called on world countries to place the Israeli settler groups on their terror lists and prosecute its members for war crimes.

According to data from the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, illegal settlers have carried out 1,530 attacks in the occupied West Bank since the start of this year.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 39,800 people since Oct. 7, 2023, following a Hamas attack.

At least 620 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,400 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark advisory opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi