UN warns of ethnic cleansing risk over Israeli operation in Hebron
The UN human rights chief and secretary-general have voiced serious concern over an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron that has displaced thousands of Palestinians. It was launched after an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers.
The United Nations warned on Monday that Israel's military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron raises serious concerns of "ethnic cleansing". Hebron is the largest city in the Palestinian territories. The operation began after a deadly attack on Israeli soldiers and has affected thousands of local residents.
What happened
On Friday, two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Hebron. The attackers died in a shootout. The incident came just days before Israel's elections, due on Tuesday.
Israeli troops entered the Hebron neighbourhood of Ein Deir Baha, where both assailants lived, and ordered residents to pack up and leave. The Hebron municipality said 3,189 people had been forced from their homes. The operation is ongoing.
The UN response
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement that the "aggressive operation" had already forcibly displaced thousands of Palestinians, demolished homes and commercial property, and deprived residents of freedom of movement. He said the lockdown was confining many people to their homes and immediate neighbourhoods.
Turk said statements by senior Israeli government officials indicated the measures were punitive in nature and meant to instil fear. He demanded that displaced people be allowed to return and that Israel provide compensation and reparation for unlawful evictions and demolitions. Collective punishment, he said, is a grave violation of international law, and threats to empty and erase entire neighbourhoods raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing.
Speaking in Cairo, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply alarmed by Israeli actions in the West Bank, pointing to unrelenting evictions and surging settler violence. He added that there can be no durable peace in the Middle East without realising the Palestinian people's legitimate right to self-determination.
