UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations has called on Secretary General Antonio Guterres to reverse his condemnation of the country for its excessive use of force in its largest military operation in two decades targeting a refugee camp in the West Bank.
Deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Friday that the secretary-general made his views known on Thursday “and he stands by that view.”
Guterres, angered by the impact of the Israeli airstrikes and attack on the Jenin refugee camp, said the operation injured more than 100 civilians, uprooted thousands of residents, damaged schools and hospitals and disrupted water and electricity networks. He also criticized Israel for preventing the injured from getting medical treatment and preventing aid workers from reaching anyone in need.
Israel’s two-day offensive designed to suppress Palestinian militants destroyed the narrow roads and alleys of Jenin camp, forced thousands to flee their homes and killed 12 Palestinians. An Israeli soldier was also killed.
“I strongly condemn all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror,” António Guterres told reporters.
When asked if this condemnation applied to Israel, he replied: “It applies to any excessive use of force, and obviously in this situation there was excessive force used by Israeli forces. “.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan called the UN chief’s remarks “shameful, far-fetched and completely detached from reality”. He said Israeli military action in Jenin “focused solely on countering murderous Palestinian terror targeting innocent Israeli civilians.”
Haq, the UN spokesman, said Guterres “clearly condemns all violence that affects civilians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, regardless of who commits it.”
The UN Security Council on Friday discussed the Israeli military operation in Jenin at the request of the United Arab Emirates behind closed doors and received a briefing from Under-Secretary-General Khaled Khiari.
Erdan sent a letter to the 15 council members and Guterres before the council meeting saying that over the past year 52 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians and that many attacks have been carried out from Jenin or from the region.
“The international community and the Security Council must unconditionally condemn the latest Palestinian terror attacks and hold Palestinian leaders accountable,” he said.
The Security Council took no action.