Pressure mounts on Israel as troops fire shots near foreign diplomats
On Wednesday, the Israeli army fired warning shots at an international diplomatic delegation in the occupied West Bank. This included a Belgian diplomat, as confirmed by the country's federal Foreign minister, Maxime Prévot.
The convoy comprised some 20 diplomats, most of whom were from European countries. According to Prévot's cabinet, the visit to the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank was organised by the Palestinian Authority and coordinated with the Israeli army.
"I was shocked to learn that the Israeli army opened fire on around 20 diplomats today, including a Belgian colleague," Prévot wrote. "These diplomats were on an official visit to Jenin in a convoy of some 20 clearly identifiable vehicles, which had been coordinated with the Israeli army. Belgium is asking Israel for a convincing explanation."
"I was shocked to learn that the Israeli army opened fire on around 20 diplomats today"
The Israeli military claims that they fired warning shots and that "the delegation deviated from the approved route". However, this is not true, according to Laurens Soenen, spokesman for minister Prévot. "The delegation left their cars and stepped towards the entrance of the camp. There, they were fired upon by two soldiers."
The delegation included a Belgian diplomat who was not injured and has since returned to Jerusalem, where he works at the consulate general. His cabinet said that Prévot will seek clarification from the Israeli embassy in Belgium.
European pressure
The incident comes amid mounting pressure from European countries regarding the situation in Gaza. Israel is still preventing most aid from reaching Palestinians. Although the country said that 93 UN trucks were allowed into Gaza on Tuesday, none of the aid has yet reached the population, according to the World Food Programme.
In response, the High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, said that a large majority of EU member states support reviewing the association agreement with Israel. Article 2 of the agreement requires both parties to respect human rights.
The delegation of diplomats. PHOTO © Mohammad MANSOUR / AFP
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