The UN has expressed concern that the ceasefire in Gaza could be endangered by Israel’s assault on Jenin, which has involved what the UN human rights spokesperson labelled “unnecessary or disproportionate use of force,” reported The Guardian on Jan. 24. Thameen al-Kheetan, of the UN human rights office, called Israeli tactics in Jenin “deadly operations,” after Israel targeted a refugee camp in the center of the city and besieged a nearby hospital.
“We are deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank,” he said on Jan. 24, criticizing “methods and means developed for war fighting, in violation of human rights law … this includes multiple airstrikes and apparently random shooting at unarmed residents attempting to flee or find safety.”
Aseel Baidoun, of Medical Aid for Palestinians, in the West Bank town of Ramallah, said she despaired at Israel’s expanding attacks on the territory. “Even as one door to peace is pushed slightly open another starts to swing closed,” she said. “Not only are we confined by checkpoints and road closures, but people also face relentless attacks from Israeli settler mobs who act with impunity, backed by the full support of the Israeli army.” She added: “Now that there is a suspension in Israel’s war on Palestinians in Gaza, it feels like the Israeli military is starting a war on us in the West Bank.”
