Arab League Condemns Escalation of Israeli Occupation Crimes in Hebron and Destruction of Palestinian Neighborhoods

Cairo, October 24 (KUNA) – The Arab League condemned on Saturday the Israeli occupation’s escalation in the city of Hebron in the West Bank, denouncing the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque, the evacuation and destruction of Palestinian neighborhoods, and the forced displacement of their residents. In a statement, the Arab League affirmed that these practices constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the forced transfer of populations, collective punishments, and the destruction of property in occupied territories. It warned that carrying out threats to evacuate and destroy Palestinian neighborhoods constitutes, by the nature of the acts and the circumstances of their commission, war crimes or crimes against humanity. The statement noted that the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque and the obstruction of worshippers’ access to it “constitute a violation of freedom of worship and an assault on the sanctity of religious sites, and contravene the legal obligations incumbent on Israel as the occupying Power.” It considered that the continuation of policies of displacement, destruction, and settlement would exacerbate the situation in the occupied West Bank and threaten to repeat the tragedies of the Nakba against the Palestinian people. The statement called on the UN Security Council and the international community to take urgent and effective measures to halt these violations, ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians, hold accountable those responsible for the crimes committed, and put an end to impunity. It stressed that the city of Hebron and the rest of the occupied West Bank are an inseparable part of Palestinian land, and that Israeli measures aimed at altering their demographic and geographic character do not create rights nor confer legitimacy. It viewed that ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to establish their independent, sovereign state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, constitute the foundation for achieving just and lasting peace. (End) M.M. / R.J.