By George Swarei
The Embassy of the state of Palestine in Harare has strongly condemned the killing of three Palestinian youths in Nablus by the Israeli occupation forces.
Three Palestinians have been shot dead by the Israeli military in the northern occupied West Bank, the latest deaths in a surge of violence in the territory since early last year.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry the Identities of those killed were still unknown.
The occupied West Bank is currently experiencing a period of increasing violence, marked by repeated Israeli raids which have shown no signs of abating.
Earlier this month, Israel pounded the Jenin refugee camp with drones and missiles while hundreds of soldiers swarmed the area. Twelve Palestinians, including three children, were killed, along with one Israeli soldier.
The number of Palestinians killed this year in the occupied Palestinian territories, which includes East Jerusalem and Gaza, is more than 200, with the majority of fatalities recorded in the occupied West.
The Israeli army said three “armed terrorists” had opened fire on its soldiers from a vehicle in a Nablus neighbourhood and the troops fired back “to neutralise” them.
In a statement The State of Palestine Ambassador to Zimbabwe Tamar Almassri said Palestine considers this a war crime, collective punishment and an extension of continuous violations and occupation crimes throughout the occupied Palestinian land as an integral part of the Israeli government and its various arms attempt to facilitate implementation of the Zionist colonial project aimed at perpetuating the annexation of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
“This heinous crime is part of the open occupation war on Palestinian national and humanitarian existence in an attempt to impose a racist formula of coexistence with the occupation. Whenever the Israel government faces domestic problems, it resorts to escalating its crimes against the Palestinian People, We hold the Israeli government fully and directly responsible for this aggression and its consequences.” Said Almassri.
Ambassador Tamar Almassri reiterated the Palestinian people’s resilience to defend their territory. “Palestinian people will defend its territories by all means that are permitted by the international law in fighting this brutal apartheid government. The continuation of the daily killings, the storming of Palestinian cities, the assault on Islamic and Christian sanctities, along with settlements, plans for annexation and racial expansion, and other Israeli crimes will not bring security and stability to anyone, because the only way to achieve peace and security is to give the Palestinian people their legitimate rights that have been endorsed by international legitimacy.” He said.
Almassri urged the international community to assume its responsibility to end this apartheid occupation. He called on the progressive peoples, governments and human rights organizations to condemn and hold Israel accountable for these heinous crimes and protect the Palestinian people.
