Urgent need to dismantle illegal settlements, end Israel's occupation - Amnesty International

KUALA LUMPUR - An alarming spike in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank in recent days highlights the urgent need to dismantle illegal settlements, end Israel’s occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and its longstanding system of apartheid, said Amnesty International.

Amnesty International Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Heba Morayef said the appalling spike in settler violence against Palestinians in recent days is part of a decades-long state-backed campaign to dispossess, displace and oppress Palestinians in the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, under Israel’s system of apartheid.

In a statement posted on Amnesty International's website, she said Israeli forces have a track record of enabling settler violence, and it is outrageous that once again Israeli forces stood by and, in some cases, took part in these brutal attacks.

"Establishing Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories flagrantly violates international law and constitutes a war crime.

"Violence is integral to the establishment and expansion of these settlements and to sustaining apartheid. It’s time for the world to recognise this and pressure Israeli authorities to abide by international law by immediately halting settlement expansion and removing all existing settlements," she said.

According to Amnesty International, between April 12 and 16, hundreds of Israeli settlers went on a deadly rampage launching violent raids on Palestinian villages in the West Bank including in al-Mughayyir, Duma, Deir Dibwan, Beitin, and Aqraba. - BERNAMA