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Thursday, 22 May 2025
Israeli forces open fire towards diplomatic delegation touring Jenin in the northern West Bank.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has condemned the attack, labelling it a "heinous crime". (AP: Majdi Mohammed)
In short:
Israeli soldiers have fired in the direction of a delegation of foreign diplomats touring the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
The
Palestinian Foreign Ministry has labelled it a "heinous crime" and
indicative of the contempt for international law held by the Israel
Defense Forces (IDF).
What's next?
The
IDF said it "regrets inconvenience caused" and will speak to the
diplomats involved, while the French government has summoned Israel's
ambassador.
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Foreign
diplomats have been forced to run for cover after Israeli troops opened
fire towards a delegation touring the city of Jenin in the West Bank.
Several
European countries have condemned the incident, with the French
government labelling the incident "unacceptable" and summoning Israel's
ambassador.
Video shared on
social media shows Israeli soldiers pointing their weapons in the
direction of the diplomats, who were standing at a boom gate in the
Jenin refugee camp.
The
Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, labelling it a
"heinous crime" and saying the delegation of around 25 people had been
"deliberately targeted by live fire."
"The
delegation was undertaking an official mission to observe and assess
the humanitarian situation and document the ongoing violations
perpetrated by the occupying forces against the Palestinian people," the
ministry said in a statement.
"The
targeting of accredited diplomatic representatives — who enjoy full
legal protections and immunities under international law — reflects the
systematic contempt of the Israeli occupation for the norms and
obligations governing inter-state relations and underscores the deeply
entrenched impunity with which it continues to operate."
Representatives
from Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Lithuania, Spain, Turkiye,
Uruguay, China, Japan, Romania, Mexico, Egypt, Chile, Morocco, Jordan,
South Korea, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy and Germany were present.
The IDF tried to justify the incident.
Jenin has been the focal point of a major Israel Defence Forces military campaign launched this year. (AP: Majdi Mohammed)
"As
part of the coordination, an approved route was provided to the
delegation members, which they were instructed to follow due to the area
being an active combat zone," it said in a statement.
"According
to an initial inquiry, the delegation deviated from the approved route
and entered an area where they were not authorised to be.
"IDF soldiers operating in the area fired warning shots to distance them away. No injuries or damages were reported."
It said senior commanders would speak to the countries represented in the delegation.
"The IDF regrets the inconvenience caused."
Jenin has been the focal point of a major Israel Defence Forces (IDF) military campaign, launched earlier this year.
The
IDF said it was cracking down on Palestinian militants and terrorists
in the West Bank, but tens of thousands of people were forced to leave
the area and hundreds of homes and infrastructure have been destroyed by
Israeli forces.
In a post on
X, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the incident was
"unacceptable" and that he had summoned Israel's ambassador to the
country to provide an explanation.
Italy's
foreign minister described the incident as "totally unacceptable" in a
post on social media, and confirmed Israel's ambassador in Rome had been
called in for an explanation of the incident.
The
Spanish foreign ministry condemned Israeli forces for opening fire,
while the European Union called for an investigation to hold those
responsible to account.
The ABC
has contacted the Israeli foreign ministry for comment about the
incident, as well as the embassies of the nations involved.
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