US support for Israel fuels illegal settler violence, Gaza genocide: Palestinian Presidency

By Aysar Alais

ISTANBUL (AA) - The escalating violence by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and the ongoing war in Gaza are directly linked to US support for Israel, the Palestinian presidency said on Saturday.

In a statement, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Presidency, called for “urgent international intervention to prevent further devastation caused by Israeli actions.”

He stressed that “continuous policies of condemnation and denunciation have proven ineffective in addressing the violence.”

“This Israeli escalation of terrorism and defiance of international law is a direct result of the unwavering support from the United States,” he said.

He further stressed that both “Israeli terrorism and American backing will not bring security or stability to the region.”

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 43,700 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

Over 783 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark July opinion by the International Court of Justice that 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.

International observers have long decried the support of Western nations for Israel as being complicit in its genocide in the Gaza Strip, especially the US.

The support of the Biden administration, including supplying weapons to Israel, has been cited as a factor in Donald Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden’s intended successor, in last week’s US presidential elections.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi