Rutte urges tougher approach to settler violence in West Bank

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Dec 2023 08:40
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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte continues to urge "Israel" to exercise greater restraint in its military actions in Gaza.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte speaking at a news conference (AFP)

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to adopt a more assertive stance against settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

"Spoke with @IsraeliPM Netanyahu in relation to the resolution being discussed today in the UN ... I stressed to Prime Minister Netanyahu that Israel must take a tougher approach to settler violence in the West Bank," Rutte said on X.

📞: Spoke with @IsraeliPM Netanyahu in relation to the resolution being discussed today in the UN. The Netherlands condemns the violence committed by Hamas, but also calls for substantial humanitarian pauses to allow aid to be delivered and hostages to be released. The…
— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) December 12, 2023

The Dutch Prime Minister also emphasized that the Netherlands calls for significant humanitarian pauses to facilitate aid delivery and captives' release. Additionally, the country continues to urge "Israel" to exercise greater restraint in its military actions, emphasizing the need for proportionality in line with international humanitarian law.

"I stated that the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza must improve, and it must improve fast. Israel must show more restraint and urgently allow more aid into Gaza. In addition to the call for substantial pauses in the fighting, I also specifically asked for aid workers and field hospital materials to be allowed into Gaza and for efforts to ensure help reaches the most affected areas, including northern Gaza," Rutte said.

Rutte expressed the vital importance of expeditiously opening the "Kerem Shalom" checkpoint for humanitarian access to Gaza.

The big picture

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib suggested, on Monday, the exploration of a Schengen Area entry ban for Israelis engaged in unlawful settlement activities in the West Bank.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles announced that the European Union has initiated efforts to compile a list of extremist settlers subject to EU sanctions for their involvement in illegal settlements in the West Bank.

In the same context, Axios reported, on Tuesday, that the US State Department is expected to enact a travel ban on Israeli settlers engaged in "violent attacks" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Though the travel ban would prevent Israeli settlers involved in "violent attacks" from traveling to the US, holders of US citizenship would reportedly remain unaffected by this measure, according to two US officials.

According to the report, the State Department is also anticipated to enforce a travel ban on Palestinians engaged in resistance operations against Israelis.

This is happening as the IOF, alongside extremist settlers, escalated their violence dramatically in the occupied West Bank, with killings and displacement being on the rise since Oct. 7

As of October 7, the Palestinian Prisoners Club reported that the overall count of Palestinians held in Israeli detention has reached 3,325. It is worth noting that United Nations data have lately indicated that a minimum of 276 Palestinians, including children, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli occupation forces since October 7.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, "Israel" has killed at least 18,000, including about 8,000 children and over 4,000 women, as per the Government Media Office in Gaza.