US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israel to act promptly to end settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
On Thursday, Blinken, currently in San Francisco for an Asia-Pacific summit, voiced his concerns during a phone call to Minister without portfolio Benny Gantz, an opposition leader who serves in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet.
The US Secretary of State “stressed the urgent need for affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank, including by confronting rising levels of settler extremist violence,” according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Blinken and Gantz also discussed diplomatic efforts to free Hamas hostages.
Approximately 240 individuals were kidnapped during the 7 October attack by Hamas, which resulted in around 1,200 primarily civilian casualties, Israeli authorities claim.
In retaliation, Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip have caused 11,500 deaths, mostly civilians, including 4,710 children, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.
Since 7 October, over 190 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported.
Israeli military frequently conducts raids, responding to what it describes as a “significant increase in terrorist attacks” in the West Bank, with “over 550 attempted attacks since the start of the war.”
In the West Bank, 490,000 Israeli settlers live amidst three million Palestinians. The UN regards these settlements as contrary to international law.
The Israeli Prime Minister heads a coalition with far-right supporters ardently in favour of West Bank colonisation.
