From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
US envoy rips Israel’s West Bank policies during UN Security Council meeting
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield rips into Israel’s policies in the West Bank during the Security Council’s monthly session on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“The world’s eyes are, rightfully, on Gaza. But we cannot ignore the situation in the West Bank,” she says, noting that more Palestinians were killed in the territory in 2023 than any other year since the UN began collecting data. The majority were killed in clashes with Israeli troops, though.
Thomas-Greenfield says the US is also concerned about the “significant uptick in deadly” settler violence against Palestinians and calls on Israeli authorities to crack down on the phenomenon.
Acknowledging that they have overwhelmingly failed to do so, the US envoy notes that Washington has taken actions into its own hands and issued sanctions against violent settlers, including the far-right Tzav 9 group that has been behind attacks on Gaza aid convoys in the West Bank
She extends her condemnation to cover Israel’s policies to expand settlements in the West Bank, which are “inconsistent with international law and only serves to weaken Israeli security.”
“Advancing Israeli settlements in the West Bank is an obstacle to the achievement of a two-state solution – the end state we all want to see, as we seek to bring the fighting in Gaza to a close,” Thomas-Greenfield says.
By contrast, the US ambassador hails the work of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces to maintain stability in the West Bank.
She slams Israel for withholding PA tax revenues for nearly three months, which has the authority on the brink of collapse.
Thomas-Greenfield says those fund are essential for the PA to be able to govern effectively but clarifies that Ramallah must implement a series of major reforms to address corruption regardless.
While she heaps criticism onto Israel over its conduct in the West Bank, Thomas-Greeenfield clarifies that the blame lies with Hamas for the continued war in Gaza.
