Israel’s fires are “warning shots” near diplomats in the West Bank

A number of countries condemned the actions of the Israeli army after the forces launched warning footage in the vicinity of a diplomatic delegation on a visit to the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli army accused the group of departure from a certified road and said that the warning shots were fired in the air “to deport them.” He said it “caused the inconvenience that caused it.”

No injuries were reported in the accident, which occurred in the city of Jenin, where Israel is fighting Palestinian armed groups for years.

Many countries, some of whom were diplomats in the visit, condemned the actions of Israel – including Spain, Egypt, France, Turkey, Ireland and Italy.

Some countries concerned said that they would summon Israeli ambassadors to calculate the incident, calling for investigations and interpretations from Israel.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the occupied West Bank, accused the Israeli security forces to deliberately target the delegation in a “heinous crime.”

She said that the group was on an official visit with the Palestinian authorities “to monitor and evaluate the humanitarian situation and document the continuous violations committed by the (Israeli) forces against the Palestinian people.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its forces launched “warning footage” to ensure that the delegation does not enter “an area where there was no statement” in Jenin.

She said that the diplomats “deviated from the approved road” and that “regretted the inconvenience caused by the accident.”

The Israel Defense Army added that it would speak to the representatives of the countries concerned for updating them on the result of an internal investigation into the incident.

A European diplomat said that the group went to the region to “see the destruction” caused by the most famous Israeli operations.

The Palestinian Authority said that dozens of countries were involved, including Egypt, Jordan, Spain, Turkey, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The condemnation of nations in Europe and the broader Middle East came with special criticism that saved the dangers they posed to the lives of diplomats.

Spain, Italy and France were among those who said they would call their Israeli ambassadors to clarify what happened, while the head of the European Union’s foreign policy said that any threats of the life of diplomats were “unacceptable” and called on those responsible for responsibility.

Ireland confirmed two diplomats, based in Ramallah, from among those in the group, said Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said it “will demand answers from Israel on how exactly this happens.”

Egypt said that the bullets that are launched on the group “violate all diplomatic standards”, while Türkiye said it was “another demonstration of the systematic ignorance of Israel for international law and human rights.”

Both countries called for an immediate investigation and an explanation from Israel.

The Israeli army is fighting the armed Palestinian factions that are taken from there for several years. Hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis have been killed in an increase in violence in the West Bank since the beginning of the war in Gaza, which was caused by the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israel has built about 160 settlements of about 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the Middle East war in 1967.

The vast majority of the international community considers that the settlements are illegal under international law – a position supported by an advisory opinion in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year – although Israel opposes this.