UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In a rare condemnation of Israel, the UN chief on Thursday denounced the country’s excessive use of force in its largest military operation in two decades targeting a refugee camp in the West Bank.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, clearly angered by impact of Israeli attack on Jenin refugee camp, says operation injured more than 100 civilians, forced thousands to flee , 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.
“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. “.
The UN chief again called on Israel “to respect its obligations under international law”, to exercise restraint and to use only proportionate force.
“The use of air strikes is incompatible with the conduct of law enforcement operations,” he said.
António Guterres reminded Israel that “as the occupying power, it has the responsibility to ensure that the civilian population is protected against all acts of violence”.
The Secretary-General’s condemnation follows a statement by three independent UN human rights experts on Wednesday, saying the Israeli airstrikes and ground actions “constitute gross violations of international law and standards on the use of force and may constitute a war crime”.
Experts on human rights in the Palestinian territory, the rights of internally displaced persons and violence against women and girls have called for Israel to be held accountable for its illegal occupation and acts of violence that perpetuate it.
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.
The Israeli army said it inflicted heavy damage on militant groups during the operation at the camp which ended on Wednesday.
Prior to the Israeli withdrawal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to carry out similar operations if necessary.
This comes after more than a year of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Jenin camp and an adjacent town of the same name have been a flashpoint since violence began to escalate in the spring of 2022.
The offensive also further weakened the Palestinian Authority, Israel’s former partner in the fight against the militants, which already had little control over the camp to begin with.
António Guterres said he understood Israel’s legitimate security concerns. “But escalation is not the answer,” he said, “it only reinforces radicalization and leads to a worsening cycle of violence and bloodshed.”
“Bringing hope to the Palestinian people in a meaningful political process, leading to a two-state solution and an end to the occupation, is an essential contribution by Israel to its own security,” the secretary-general stressed.
Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek these territories for their hoped-for independent state, a goal supported by the United Nations and many countries across the world.