Aness Suheil Barghoti
04 October 2015•Update: 04 October 2015
By Anees Barghouthy
RAMALLAH, Palestine
The Palestinian Authority on Sunday condemned the recent Israeli political and security escalation in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
A statement said the PA asked the international community and the United Nations to “intervene to compel Israel to stop its violations in the Palestinian occupied territories”, citing the recent killing of two Palestinians in Jerusalem, as well as the military offensive in multiple Palestinian cities.
It said the PA considered the Israeli escalation to be an obstacle to the peace efforts and the two-state solution.
Israeli Prime Ministry Spokesperson Ofir Gendelman said that the PA doesn’t condemn “terrorist” attacks by Palestinians against Israelis but it condemns Israeli police that killed them.
Tensions have run high in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since the killing last week of two Jewish settlers near Itamar settlement southern West Bank city of Nablus.
Violent clashes broke out all over the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers.
Israeli soldiers accused of using live ammunition, rubber bullets and teargas against the Palestinians causing dozens of injuries.
The Palestinian Red Crescent for its part raised the alert status across the West Bank to third degree, declaring a “State of Emergency”.
“At least 240 Palestinians were injured during clashes with Israeli forces in occupied West Bank,” the Palestinian Red Crescent said in statement.
“26 Palestinians were injured with live ammunition, 70 with rubber bullets and 143 suffered gas inhalation,” it added.
The Red Crescent, however, said it has documented 14 Israeli settlers and forces’ assaults against 14 ambulances and 12 medics within the past 72 hours across the West Bank and Jerusalem.
