The alarming increase in Israeli occupation forces' killings of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in 2022 is extremely disturbing, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor cautioned in a statement, emphasizing the need to activate accountability and end "Israel's" decades-long state of impunity.

In a new report titled “Pulling the trigger is the first resort”, the Euro-Med Monitor revealed that the recorded number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) increased by 82% in 2022 over 2021, and nearly fivefold (491%) over 2020.

The report acknowledged that the Palestinians were murdered in unjustifiable operations and contexts where they posed no imminent threat or danger to IOF or illegal Israeli settlers.

On his account, the Chairman of Euro-Med Monitor Ramy Abdu said, “The Israeli army’s killings and summary executions of Palestinian civilians, as evidenced by its lax open-fire regulations and official protection system for perpetrators of horrific violations, demonstrate that these are state-sanctioned rather than individual actions.”

“Regardless of whether Israel’s government is on the political left, centre, or right, the use of lethal force against Palestinians remains a key element of its policy.”

 

- Chairman of Euro-Med Monitor Ramy Abdu

It is worth noting that the report provides detailed statistics on Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces and settlers in 2022, documenting the murder of 204 Palestinians by IOF in 2022, 142 of whom were from the occupied West Bank (69.6%), 37 from Gaza (18.1%), 20 from Al-Quds (9.8%), and five from the '48 occupied territories (2.4%).

According to the data presented in the report, Israeli occupation forces carried out 32 summary executions, 18 of which occurred amid allegations that Palestinians had either completed or attempted a stabbing or vehicular assault against Israeli settlers near checkpoints or hotspots; the remaining executions were generally carried out without any rationale or solely based on suspicion.

Jenin Governorate had the highest number of Palestinian murdered in 2022, accounting for 26.9% of total deaths, with 55 Palestinians murdered, compared to other Palestinian towns and governorates. The governorate of Nablus came in second with 35 deaths, accounting for 17.1% of all deaths; this is owing to the increased frequency of Israeli raids and the execution of targeted operations in the two governorates.

Children made up nearly 20% of victims of Israeli killings in 2022, according to the report's findings, with 41 children slain in Israeli attacks and assaults, in addition to eight women killed the same year, three of whom were field-executed in the occupied West Bank.

Shoot to kill

The report highlighted that the Israeli political echelon's authorization for the army and security forces to act with "complete freedom" under the guise of "counter-terrorism" appears to have paved the way for the unjust killing and oppression of Palestinian civilians at military checkpoints and in cities, villages, and towns throughout the occupied West Bank and Al-Quds.

The conduct of Israeli forces toward Palestinian civilians demonstrates the entity's clear disregard for its international obligations under the Geneva Conventions, most notably the Fourth Geneva Convention, under which Israeli practices amount to war crimes, the report stressed.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor urged the European Union to review the implementation of its partnership agreement with the Israeli government in light of Israeli violations of human rights, as well as to halt cooperation programs until "Israel's" government meets its obligations and ceases its gross violations of human rights in Palestine.

The report also stressed that relevant UN processes and bodies must act immediately to safeguard civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as to ensure investigation and accountability for egregious violations and offenses that may constitute war crimes.

The International Criminal Court must conduct its investigations as soon as possible and tackle the situation in the Palestinian Territory in the same manner as it does in other parts of the world, the report tersely stated.

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