May 22 (UPI) — A group of foreign delegations visiting the occupied West Bank came under Israeli military fire, attracting international condemnation.
Diplomats from at least 20 countries, along with U.N. staff, were on an official visit to the occupied West Bank on Wednesday to inspect the humanitarian conditions around the Jenin refugee camp when Israeli soldiers fired rounds into the air.
According to the United Nations, the tour was approved by Israel and hosted by the Palestinian Authority, which accused the Israel Defense Forces of having “deliberately targeted” the delegation in what it described as “an unlawful act” that breaches international law and principles of diplomatic relations enshrined in the Vienna Convention.
“The targeting of accredited diplomatic representatives — who enjoy full legal protections and immunities under international law — reflects the systematic contempt of the Israeli occupation for the norms and obligations governing inter-state relations and underscores the deeply entrenched impunity with which it continues to operate,” the Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory of the West Bank and the establishment of settlements there are widely viewed as illegal under international law.
Established in 1953, Jenin is the northernmost refugee camp in the West Bank and is home to some 24,000 Palestinian as of 2023, according to the U.N.
Ronald Friedrich, director of the U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, posted videos of the incident to his X account, showing a large group of reporters, cameramen and apparent diplomats fleeing down a street as gunshots are heard.
He said it is an example of “the lax use of excessive force routinely deployed by Israeli Security Forces in the West Bank,” adding that 137 Palestinians have been killed in occupied-related violence so far this year.
The IDF said the delegation had deviated from the previously authorized route and soldiers in the area had fired warning shots “to distance them away.”
“The IDF regrets the inconvenience caused,” it said in a statement, adding that the diplomats would be updated on the IDF’s findings of an initial inquiry into the incident.
Friedrich pushed back at the IDF’s characterization of the incident, saying “‘warning shots’ don’t fully capture the severity of today’s events.”
“This raises serious concerns over the way rules of engagement are applied to unarmed civilians,” he said.
Canada, Italy and Spain each summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their countries for clarification.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand of Canada confirmed four of her employees were part of the delgation.
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada called the shooting “totally unacceptable” during a press conference on Wednesday.
“It’s some of many things that are totally unacceptable that’s going on in the region,” he said.
The incident comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza where the humanitarian situation continues to worsen.
On Monday, Britain, Canada and France warned Israel that they would take “concrete actions” if it does not end renewed military operations in Gaza and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.
The current war in the decades-long conflict between Israel and Hamas began Oct. 7, 2023, when the militant group launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others, of whom 54 are still missing.
Israel has responded with a pounding offensive that has devastated Gaza and killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza ministry of health.
