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Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah

RAMALLAH. — The Palestinian foreign ministry slammed the international community’s “silence towards Israel’s attacks” against Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem yesterday.

“How can the international community remain silent in the face of these crimes, acting blind and deaf whenever Israel breaches international laws and treaties,” The ministry said in its statement.

The ministry condemned the international community’s “negligence towards what is occurring against Palestinians and the leadership demands immediate international protection of Palestinians as a step towards ending the occupation.”

The statement called upon all human rights organisations to assume their responsibilities and urgently act to confront, monitor and document Israeli “violations.”

It additionally urged them to promptly provide the ministry with documents to maintain the process of holding the Israeli government accountable for its crimes at the International Criminal Court as well as other international human rights bodies.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to expedite the provision of Palestinians with international protection, in view of increased confrontations with Israel.

During their phone conversation Sunday, Abbas urged the UN chief to swiftly respond to the Palestinian request of international protection before “matters get out of control.”

The latest spike of violence between Israel’s army and settlers on the one hand, and Palestinians on the other, was provoked by a shooting ambush which killed an Israeli couple near the West Bank city of Nablus. Furthermore, two other Israelis were stabbed to death in east Jerusalem.

In return, the Israeli army killed six Palestinians, stating that three of them were shot for stabbing Israelis.

The other three, including a 13-year-old teenager, were killed during the ongoing clashes in different West Bank cities which left over 600 casualties.

Confrontations flared up in Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound three weeks ago.

Israeli forces raided the Islamic holy site and cracked down on Palestinian worshipers who were protesting against permitting Jewish groups into the compound during Jewish holidays, conflicting with the status-quo. — Xinhua.