Washington: To address the escalating violence in the West Bank, the United States today implemented a new visa restriction policy against Israeli individuals “involved in or meaningfully contributing” to the undermining of peace, security, or stability in the West Bank. “This includes acts of violence against persons or property, as well as undue restrictions on civilians’ access to essential services and basic necessities. Immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions,” US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters today (IST).
“We unequivocally condemn attacks by violent Israeli extremists against Palestinians and those by violent Palestinian extremists against Israelis. These acts threaten West Bank stability in the immediate term and take us further away from a future in which Palestinians and Israelis can both live in – both can live in peace and security, in two states,” he added.
The US today demanded Israel to do “more” to stop extremist violence against Palestinians and hold those responsible for it accountable.
Miller said violence in the West Bank this year is at levels not seen since the Second Intifada, and in recent weeks, an alarming surge in violent acts has driven this unwelcome record even higher. According to him, this includes “unprecedented levels of violence by Israeli extremist settlers targeting Palestinians and their property, displacing entire communities, as well as violence by Palestinian extremist militants against Israeli civilians”.
“We will continue to insist that both Israeli and Palestinian leaders take action to interrupt the increasing levels of violence against civilians. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have a responsibility to uphold stability and protect civilians in the West Bank.”
The US further said it would continue to impress upon the Government of Israel the conclusion of the United States that they need to do more to take action to stop extremist settler violence and to hold accountable extremist settlers who commit acts of violence.
“We have underscored to the Israeli government the need to do more to hold accountable extremist settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank. As President [Joe] Biden has repeatedly said, those attacks are unacceptable, Miller said.
“We have raised that in a number of conversations with the Government of Israel. The White House has made public that the [US] President [Joe Biden] has raised that directly with [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin]Netanyahu in their conversations. And in all those conversations we made clear that while we expected the Government of Israel to take action, the United States was ready and willing to take our own action if we didn’t see them take actions of their own,” Miller said.
The US said it has not yet seen a “sufficient level of actions by the Government of Israel that we think hold people properly accountable”. Although Dr Phil Gordon, the National Security Advisor to the US Vice President, during his trip to Israel on December 4-5, 2023, reiterated the US Administration’s “resolute support” for Israel’s right to defend itself in the face of the Hamas terrorist threat, he underscored the importance of adherence to international humanitarian law and the imperative of increased efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance and protect civilians.
The United States also said that while the onus is on the Israeli government to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza, there is not enough being done right now.
The US has taken note that there is not enough fuel, there is not enough food, and there’s not enough water getting in. The number of trucks currently getting in is around 100 a day which is lower than it was during the pause. It needs to be higher.
“The level of assistance that’s getting in is not sufficient. It needs to go up, and we’ve made that clear to the Government of Israel. The level of fuel that is going in is not sufficient. It needs to go up, and we have made that clear to the Government of Israel. And we will continue to engage with them on every level, precisely to try and address the very real human suffering that … so many civilians in Gaza are going through,” US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters today (IST).
Miller said the US was engaging with the Government of Israel at every level to try to increase the amount of humanitarian assistance that is getting in so people have food and water. “We are working with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to try to identify sites where civilians can go to be safe from harm and working with the Government of Israel to ensure that those sites are protected and are not targeted,” he said.
He referred to the reports from UNRWA and other UN agencies that the places where civilians are going are overcrowded, they need more humanitarian assistance, they need more food and water, and in that respect, we don’t think Israel is doing enough. He, however, said that Israel had a right to conduct military campaigns, it all “goes back to the fact that Hamas continues to hide behind civilians in civilian neighbourhoods, under apartment buildings, under schools and hospitals and mosques. And so, yes, the places where – I mean, this is just the nature of the problem in that Israel has a right to conduct military campaigns to prevent October 7 from ever happening again and to try to take out the leaders who plotted October 7 and want to do it again. “They’re all hiding in – they’re all hiding behind civilians,” he said.
– global bihari bureau
