The United States’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israel to put a stop to the violence being carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Blinken made the statement during a call with centrist opposition leader Benny Gantz. He stressed the urgent need for affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank, including by confronting rising levels of settler extremist violence.
According to Al Jazeera, Blinken also discussed efforts to “augment and accelerate” the deliveries of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, secure the release of captives held by Hamas, and prevent the war from widening into a broader conflict.
Israeli settler violence has increased significantly since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, rising from an average of three incidents to seven per day, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHCA).
