BERLIN: Israel must “better protect civilians and civilian infrastructure” in its military operation in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, Germany’s foreign ministry said Friday.
The 40,000 people displaced by Israel’s “Iron Wall” operation to be “allowed back to their homes as soon as possible”, said the statement.
“The Israeli government’s plans to deploy the Israeli army in the Jenin refugee camp on a long-term basis are unacceptable,” it added.
Israel launched the large-scale military operation spanning multiple refugee camps near the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas days after the Gaza ceasefire was announced.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that its troops would remain for many months in the evacuated camps of Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams to “prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism”.
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Germany’s foreign ministry noted that “under the Oslo accords the Palestinian Authority (PA) has full responsibility for security in Jenin”.
The presence of Israeli security forces in such parts of the West Bank “undermines the PA’s efforts to act as a legitimate representative of Palestinian interests”, the ministry argued.
“Israel’s actions are entrenching occupation structures… and destabilising an already extremely fragile security environment,” it added.
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