Israel uses occupier violence to ‘ethnically cleanse’ Palestinians from West Bank: Amnesty

Amnesty International warned Monday that the massive escalation of state-backed Israeli occupier violence is aimed at “ethnically cleansing” Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, saying the attacks are not isolated incidents but a “central policy of the Israeli state,” Anadolu reports.

The London-based rights group called on countries to impose sanctions on Israeli officials involved in serious violations of international law, ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements and halt the supply of weapons and security equipment to Israel.

The statement came in response to attacks carried out by Israeli occupiers in recent days against Palestinian farmers in the West Bank, as well as European diplomats and an American photojournalist working for The Washington Post.

“Amnesty International has long been sounding the alarm over the exponential rise in state-driven settler violence against Palestinians, which has sought, through terror-inspiring means, to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the occupied West Bank,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“This rise of violence has been fuelled by the international community’s persistent failure to take meaningful action against the very system enabling the continued oppression of Palestinians,” she added.

READ: Israeli occupiers attack European diplomatic delegation in occupied West Bank

“Attacks are not isolated acts, but a central policy of the Israeli state,” Morayef said.

She urged states to take concrete measures to meet their obligations under international law and avoid complicity in violations and crimes against Palestinians.

Amnesty called for an end to all forms of trade, investment and cooperation “that contribute to maintaining the unlawful occupation, apartheid and the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing.”

Morayef also criticized attempts by senior Israeli officials and election candidates across the political spectrum to portray attacks by occupiers “as the work of a few individuals.”

She called such portrayals a gross distortion of the truth in light of “state-sponsored brutality.”

“These attacks must generate a strong response by states that claim to oppose Israel’s annexation of Palestinian territory,” she added.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. Israeli settlements in the occupied territory are illegal under international law.

READ: UK threatens sanctions against firms linked to Israel’s illegal settlements in West Bank