UN alarmed after warning shots fired at foreign diplomats in the West Bank

Media reports said soldiers fired warning shots near the diplomats, who were on an official visit to view humanitarian conditions around the camp where a major Israeli military operation has been ongoing since January. 

The mission was hosted by the Palestinian Authority and approved by Israel, however it strayed from the approved route, media reports said, citing a statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). 

Diplomats from more than 20 countries were in the group, along with staff from the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA.  No injuries were reported.

Diplomats must be respected

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric was asked about the incident during his regular media briefing from New York.  

He said Secretary-General António Guterres was alarmed by reports that “the IDF fired what they called warning shots” at diplomatic and UN personnel.

“It is clear that diplomats who are doing their work should never be shot at, attacked in any way, shape or form, and their safety, their inviolability, must be respected at all times,” he said.

“Any use of force against them is unacceptable, and we urge the Israeli authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, to share those findings with us, and to take any measures that would prevent any other such incident to take place.”

‘Lax use of excessive force’

UNRWA Director of Affairs in the West Bank, Roland Friedrich, spoke out against the Israeli military’s actions.

“This incident is a stark reminder of the lax use of excessive force routinely deployed by Israeli Security Forces in the West Bank, often with lethal consequences,” he said in a tweet.

He noted that “while the West Bank is not a war zone,” 137 Palestinians have been killed there since January in occupation-related violence.

“The IDF has said they are investigating the incident. However, claims such as ‘mistakenly identifying [the delegation] as a threat’ and firing ‘warning shots’ do not fully capture the severity of today's events,” he said.

“This raises serious concerns over the way rules of engagement are applied to unarmed civilians,” he added.

Meanwhile, several countries have voiced their condemnation. Germany’s foreign ministry issued a statement calling for Israel to investigate the matter.

“The Federal Foreign Office strongly condemns this unprovoked fire. We can count ourselves lucky that nothing more serious occurred,” it said.

Jenin camp situation

The UN continues to highlight the situation at the Jenin camp and elsewhere in the West Bank.  

Mr. Friedrich said access to the camp “has been near-impossible” since Israel launched Operation ‘Iron Wall’ on 21 January. All residents have been forcibly displaced and UNRWA services there have been fully suspended. 

He called for safe humanitarian access to the camp to be restored, while those displaced must be allowed to return immediately.