US asks Israel to ‘address’ settler violence against Palestinians

The United States has called on Israel to confront “settler violence” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu news agency reported.

This came during a phone call between the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, the Pentagon said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, Austin urged Gallant to “address extremist settler violence against Palestinian civilians and continue the Israeli Ministry of Defence’s efforts to improve economic opportunities for Palestinians in the West Bank.”

He also “called for Palestinian leaders to condemn terrorism and take active steps to prevent violence,” and further emphasised the “urgent need for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take meaningful steps to ensure stability in the West Bank.”

Attacks by illegal Israeli settlers on towns and villages in the occupied West Bank have increased in frequency and ferocity since the occupation state’s most right-wing government came to power in the new year. Some attacks have been described as ‘pogroms’ by Jewish rights organisations.

READ: US Jewish organisations slam ‘pogroms’ and ‘terrorism’ by Israeli settlers