PA: Halting Ben-Gvir’s collective punishment against Palestinians key to calming tension

The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced on Friday that halting the collective punishment imposed by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Palestinians: “Is key to calming down ongoing tension.”

In a statement issued on Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, the PA strongly condemned: “The war of extremist Israeli War Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in Jerusalem, its neighbourhoods and its residents.”

The statement conveyed that Ben-Gvir’s punishment included all aspects of life in the holy city, pointing out: “Collective punishment, ethnic cleansing and calling on Israel to escalate its aggression on Palestinians.”

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According to the statement, Ben-Gvir and his followers increased the circles of tension, using them as a “smokescreen” to continue their “open war” against Palestinians to make it easy for Judaising Jerusalem and reinforcing settlement.

Ben-Gvir’s measures: “Abort every regional and international effort aimed at reaching calm, achieving a truce and building credibility based on political negotiations.”

The PA’s Foreign Ministry said that the international reaction was limited to condemnations and expressing concerns, giving Ben-Gvir and his followers the green light to go ahead with their aggression on Palestinians.

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