UK Government ‘deeply worried by the methods’ used by Israeli forces in West Bank

The UK Government is “deeply worried” by the “methods” employed by Israel in the West Bank, a Foreign Office statement has said.

The statement condemns “settler violence”, which has surged in the West Bank since the Hamas attack on October 7 ignited Israel’s war against Gaza.

At least 652 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli fire since the war began over 10 months ago, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Most have died during Israeli raids, which often trigger gun battles with militants.

Israel says the operations are required to dismantle Hamas and other militant groups and to prevent attacks on Israelis, which have also risen since the start of the war.

Synagogue

This week, Israel’s national security minister Ben-Gvir was criticised for saying he would build a Jewish synagogue at the Al-Aqsa Mosque – a holy site for Muslims and Palestinian national symbol – compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing IDF military operation in the occupied West Bank.

“We recognise Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.

“The risk of instability is serious and the need for de-escalation urgent. We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions.

“The UK strongly condemns settler violence and inciteful remarks such as those made by Israel’s national security minister Ben-Gvir, which threaten the status-quo of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.

“It is in no-one’s interest for further conflict and instability to spread in the West Bank.”

Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.

The three million Palestinians in the West Bank live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering towns and cities.

More than 500,000 Jewish settlers, who have Israeli citizenship, live in about 100 settlements across the territory that most of the international community considers illegal.