UN expert urges 'protection presence' in occupied Palestinian land

UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese calls for an 'international protection presence' in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, citing a surge in violence and the ICJ's ruling on the 'unlawful' Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

UN Rapporteur Urges International Protection

Amid a surge of violence by Israeli forces against Palestinians residing in the "occupied" territories, United Nations (UN) special rapporteur Francesca Albanese has asserted that the deployment of an "international protection presence" in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza was "absolutely urgent".

Albanese, an international lawyer, referred to the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) advisory opinion that declared the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories "unlawful" and asked the UN member states not to recognise the same. "An International Protection Presence in West Bank/east Jerusalem and Gaza is absolutely URGENT. Third states have an obligation, per the ICJ, to act to end Israel's unlawful occupation," Albanese posted on X.

She said that the responsibility of ending "Israeli occupation" rests with other states, as per the advisory opinion issued by the ICJ. She also raised doubts about whether UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' diplomatic efforts, alongside the UN General Assembly's "Uniting for Peace" mechanism, could break the Security Council's deadlock over the conflict. "Will UNSG's good offices and UNGA (Uniting4Peace) help overcome the UNSC paralysis?" Albanese, the UN Rights Expert, asked.

Spike in Violence Against Palestinians

Albanese was responding to a post containing violent footage of young "Israeli settlers" attacking Palestinian farmers on their land in Masafer Yatta, a cluster of 19 hamlets in the South Hebron Hills of the West Bank. In the purported video, the "Israeli settlers" can be seen attacking an elderly disabled Palestinian man named Saeed al-Amour.

Earlier, a Palestinian teenager was "shot and killed" allegedly by Israeli forces in the West Bank. Islam Ahmed Ajouri (14) was shot in the chest during a raid on the Askar refugee camp in Nablus on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported while citing Wafa news agency.

Concerns Over New Settlement Plan

This comes amid concerns over an Israeli plan to build a fresh "illegal" settlement that would split the West Bank territory in two. In a joint statement, the European Union described the invitation for construction tenders for various housing units under the E1 settlement project as "unacceptable," saying it violates the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories, Al Jazeera reported.

Further Attacks and Injuries Reported

On August 22, at least 19 Palestinians were injured during Israeli military raids and attacks by Israelis from "illegal settlements" across the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reported, citing Palestinian health officials and local media reports.

Israeli forces shot and injured three Palestinians attempting to enter East Jerusalem near the separation wall in ar-Ram, the Jerusalem Governorate said on Saturday. The governorate added that the incident was part of near-daily attacks against Palestinian workers who have been barred from working in Israel since the war on Gaza began in October 2023, Al Jazeera reported.

(ANI)

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