International Red Cross calls for civil protection in the West Bank

“ Serious and frequent acts of violence must end,” said the ICRC’s head of delegation to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Julien Lerisson, stressing that the Israeli authorities “have a responsibility to protect the population from violence, even when it is perpetrated by settlers” Israelis.

“International Humanitarian Law must be respected with regard to the protection of private and public property and the access of the population to essential services,” the ICRC said in a press release, recalling that dozens of Palestinians were killed, hundreds were injured and thousands were displaced only this year.

The organization highlighted the humanitarian impact “enhanced violence” and stressed that the restrictions of movement imposed by Israeli authorities prevent patients from accessing health care, prevent children from attending school, deprive people of their homes and livelihoods, and lead families and communities to have “intolerant living conditions”.

The Israeli authorities decreed a series of restrictions on movement in the West Bank, alleging security reasons, hindering or even cutting access to sacred places, workplaces and schools.

According to data monitored by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are over 900 active physical obstacles that prevent or limit internal circulation and short trips between neighboring cities that would usually take minutes often extend for several hours.

In addition, large parts of the territory have been declared “closed military areas”, where Palestinian residents face daily magazines and strict restrictions, while Israeli settlers circulate under military protection.

Admitting that Israel “has the right to take action to ensure its own security,” the ICRC stressed that Tel Aviv is responsible as an occupying power for protecting the Palestinian population.

“The respect for international humanitarian law and the obligations arising from the right of occupation are necessary measures to restore the security and dignity of the population, which means protecting the civilian population from violence and preventing the expansion of civilian settlements,” Lerisson concluded.

The Israeli army's operations and Israeli settlers' attacks on the West Bank and East Jerusalem have increased dramatically since the attacks of October 7, 2023, led by the Islamist Hamas group that led to the war in Gaza, although record numbers of deaths in these territories had already been recorded during the first nine months of that year.