UN report deplores ‘rapid deterioration’ of rights in West Bank

Geneva — A UN report published on Thursday deplored “rapid deterioration” of human rights in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and urged Israel to end violence against Palestinians there. 

The report, published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said 300 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank since October 7, the day Hamas gunmen went on the rampage in southern Israel and took hostages back to Gaza.

Most of the West Bank killings were during operations by Israeli security forces or confrontations with them.

At least 105 deaths could be attributed to Israeli operations involving air strikes or other military tactics in refugee camps or other densely populated areas. At least eight people were killed by Jewish settlers, it said.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials on the report. Israel has said its West Bank operations are pre-emptive and aimed at curbing security threats.

“The use of military tactics means and weapons in law-enforcement contexts, the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force, and the enforcement of broad, arbitrary and discriminatory movement restrictions that affect Palestinians are extremely troubling,” said UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk.

“I call on Israel to take immediate, clear and effective steps to put an end to settler violence against the Palestinian population, to investigate all incidents of violence by settlers and Israeli security forces, to ensure effective protection of Palestinian communities.”

OHCHR said it recorded mass arbitrary detentions, unlawful detentions, and reported cases of torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees. It said 4,785 Palestinians were detained in the West Bank since October 7.

“Some were stripped naked, blindfolded and restrained for long hours with handcuffs and with their legs tied, while Israeli soldiers stepped on their heads and backs, were spat at, slammed against walls, threatened, insulted, humiliated and in some cases subjected to sexual and gender-based violence,” said OHCHR.

The West Bank had the highest levels of unrest in decades in the 18 months before the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen but confrontations have risen sharply as Israel have launched a ground invasion of Gaza. 

Reuters