Arab League Egypt and Jordan condemn Israeli attack on West Bank

Israeli soldiers arrest Palestinians during a raid in the Nur Shams camp for near the city of Tulkarem in West Bank on Wednesday. AFP

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League, strongly condemned Israel's military operation in the West Bank, which resulted in the deaths of more than eleven people. It also involved a comprehensive siege on major cities and extensive areas in the region.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Aboul Gheit said that Israel's incursions, violent attacks, and killings in northern West Bank cities, as well as the destruction of infrastructure and the siege of hospitals, are part of a troubling trend to subjugate the Palestinian people.

He added that this trend cannot be separated from the dangerous and totally unacceptable statements made by extremist ministers in the Israeli government about the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Secretary-General of the Arab League accused Israel of conducting a war of extermination against Palestinians, asserting that the military operations in the West Bank are unrelated to the Oct.7 attacks.

He emphasised that the objective is to render life unbearable for Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, employing ongoing violence as a means of intimidation and advancing plans for displacement and the eradication of their cause.

Aboul Gheit stressed the urgency for the international community to take action against escalating tensions in the region, warning that the current situation is dangerously close to a crisis that could lead to further conflict and instability.

The Arab Republic of Egypt has strongly condemned the Israeli military incursions into the northern West Bank cities of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas, Egypt Today reported.

These operations, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of numerous Palestinians, were denounced in a statement released on Wednesday, by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration.

Egypt regards these Israeli assaults on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank as a deliberate and systematic violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the four Geneva Conventions, which are designed to protect the rights of people under occupation.

It also criticised Israel's insistence on escalating tensions and expanding the scope of confrontations within Palestinian territories.

Egypt has called for a unified and effective international stance to protect the Palestinian people and to put an end to the ongoing targeting of unarmed civilians, the imposition of restrictions, and the seizure of private property.

The statement from the Arab Republic of Egypt also warned of the severe risks associated with ongoing Israeli operations, particularly the deliberate targeting of more Palestinian civilians.

This warning comes amid continued Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip and the violation of Islamic and Christian holy sites in East Jerusalem. Egypt emphasised that these actions further complicate the situation and reflect Israel's persistent desire to escalate, along with a lack of political will to achieve de-escalation.

King Abdullah of Jordan, on Wednesday warned of the grave consequences of developments in the West Bank, during a meeting with a delegation of US Congress members at Al Husseiniya Palace, Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported.

According to a royal court statement, His Majesty also warned that attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians and violations of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem will further fuel violence.

The meeting, attended by Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II, covered efforts to reach comprehensive calm in the region and ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States.

The King stressed that reaching an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza is the first and most crucial step for putting an end to the cycle of violence in the region, noting that the region cannot remain hostage to the policies of extremism and escalation.