Britain ‘deeply concerned’ by Israel’s operation in occupied West Bank

The British government said on Friday it was “deeply concerned” by Israel’s ongoing operation in the occupied West Bank, warning that risk of instability was serious and that there was an urgent need for de-escalation.

“We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions,” a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement.

Clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank have escalated since Israel’s war with Hamas began in Gaza nearly 11 months ago.

More than 660 people – combatants and civilians – have been killed, according to Palestinian tallies, some by Jewish settlers who have carried out frequent vigilante-style attacks on West Bank Palestinian communities.

A top UN aid official meanwhile questioned “what has become of our basic humanity”, as the war raged on in Gaza where humanitarian operations struggled to respond.

Israel said it killed three Hamas fighters in an air strike in the occupied West Bank on Friday, taking the death toll from a large-scale military operation now in its third day to at least 19.

Israeli troops killed a local commander of Islamic Jihad movement in the West Bank and four others on Thursday in a gunbattle during one of the largest assaults in the Israeli-occupied territory for months.

Israeli troops pulled back from other West Bank towns late Thursday but fighting raged on around Jenin.

An AFP journalist reported loud explosions from the city’s refugee camp and thick plumes of smoke rising from the area

“We recognise Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure,” UK’s Foreign Office spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added the UK “strongly condemns settler violence”, and that it was in no one’s interest further conflict and instability to spread in the occupied West Bank.