The Palestinian Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa stated that the Palestinian Authority is persistently advocating for the International Criminal Court to prosecute Jewish settlers who carry out attacks on Palestinian communities. Mustafa emphasized that the State of Palestine is actively engaging with international partners to ensure that the colonists and their leaders are held accountable for their actions.
This statement came in the wake of an armed attack by a group of Jewish settlers on the Palestinian village of Al-Mughayir in the West Bank, resulting in the death of a Palestinian youth and injuries to 18 others. In response, the Prime Minister has instructed the authorities to provide necessary assistance to the residents of Al-Mughayir. Despite these attacks, Mustafa stressed that “the Palestinian people will not be deterred from defending their land and thwarting displacement efforts against them”.
Unfortunately, “attacks by Jewish settlers, with the support of the Israeli army, on Palestinian settlements and economic facilities in the West Bank have become a recurring occurrence”, he said.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on October 7, 2023, when militants from the terrorist Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. This attack resulted in the loss of lives in border communities and the abduction of over 240 individuals. Hamas justified their actions as a response to the aggressive measures taken by Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. In retaliation, Israel imposed a complete blockade on Gaza and initiated a ground operation in the enclave, conducting strikes on targets in the Strip as well as specific areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also ongoing in the West Bank.