GHAZA: Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian girl during a raid in the city of Jenin on Sunday, the Palestinian health ministry said, as the wave of violence in the occupied West Bank this year continued.
The Israeli military said it was aware of reports of the girl’s death and the incident was under review. It claimed troops were shot at while carrying out a raid to arrest three wanted individuals and returned fire.
Jenin, in the northern West Bank, houses a sprawling refugee camp in which Palestinian groups maintain a presence. Along with the nearby city of Nablus, it has been at the centre of much of the violence in the West Bank this year as Israeli forces have conducted near-daily raids as part of a brutal crackdown following attacks by Palestinians in Israel in the spring.
During one of the most violent years in more than a decade, Palestinian authorities say at least 165 Palestinians, including both members of groups and civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank this year.
At the same time, at least 23 Israeli civilians and eight members of the security forces have been killed in Israel and the West Bank, while violent clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians have also increased.
Palestine on Sunday slammed the U.S. move to pressure the United Nations not to update its list of companies operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told “Voice of Palestine” that “the Palestinian leadership rejects any U.S. pressure on the UN and its operating institutions.”
He added that his ministry is working to arrange a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
His remark came after U.S. State Department Spokesman Vedant Patel said Friday that Washington “continued to oppose any action to update the list, and has raised concerns directly with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.”
In February 2020, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a list of companies operating in Israeli settlements. The list comprises 112 companies, including Israeli and American companies.
Israel took control of the West Bank after the 1967 war and established dozens of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are considered a violation of international law.
The UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which was enacted in 2016, deemed these Israeli settlements illegal and urged an immediate end to them in the Palestinian territories.
