Red Cross: The escalation of violence and settlement expansion makes life in the West Bank unbearable

Jerusalem - Ofoq News - The International Committee of the Red Cross said that the escalation of violence, the increasing restrictions on movement, and the accelerating pace of settlement expansion have caused serious harm to civilians throughout the West Bank, and made their daily lives more difficult.

The committee explained, in a press statement, that dozens of Palestinians were martyred and hundreds injured, while many were displaced, and homes and property were damaged or destroyed, leaving many families without shelter or a source of livelihood, since the beginning of this year.

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Israel and the occupied territories, Julian Learson, said: “The repeated and severe acts of violence must end.”

He added that the authorities have a responsibility to protect the population from violence committed by the colonialists, respect the provisions of international humanitarian law related to the protection of public and private property, and ensure the population’s access to basic services.

He continued that the humanitarian impact of the violence, including the loss of life and serious injuries, is “enormous and catastrophic,” noting that restrictions on movement prevent patients from accessing health care services and children from going to school, isolate residents from their homes and sources of livelihood, and push families and communities into increasingly worsening living conditions.

He pointed out that ambulances are sometimes detained for hours at checkpoints and barriers, or are forced to take longer routes to avoid road closures and acts of violence, which makes the work of first response teams more difficult and puts the lives of the people they seek to help at risk.

Lairison said that Israel, as the occupying power in the West Bank, bears responsibilities towards the Palestinians, who are considered protected persons under international humanitarian law, including protecting them from acts or threats of violence.

He added that upholding international humanitarian law and respecting obligations under the law of occupation represent two necessary steps to restore the safety and dignity of the population, including protecting civilians from violence and stopping the expansion of settlement construction.

The statement mentioned the legal position of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which considers that Israel’s establishment and expansion of settlements in the West Bank contradicts its obligations under Article 49, paragraph 6, of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which prohibits the occupying state from transferring parts of its civilian population to the territories it occupies.