UN experts condemned on Thursday Jewish settler violence and excessive use of force by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The UN experts slammed in a press release “the rampant Israeli settler violence and excessive use of force by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank this year, that have made 2022 the deadliest in this area of the occupied Palestinian territory since the United Nations started systematically documenting fatalities in 2005.”

According to UN figures, Israeli forces have killed at least 150 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank this year, including 33 children.

“We remind Israel that pending the dismantlement of its unlawful occupation, Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory must be treated as protected persons, not enemies or terrorists,” the experts said.

The experts also demanded that Israel ensure the protection, security, and welfare of the Palestinian people living under its occupation, in accordance with its obligations under international law.

“Armed and masked Israeli settlers are attacking Palestinians in their homes, attacking children on their way to school, destroying property and burning olive groves, and terrorizing entire communities with complete impunity,” said the experts.

The UN experts called on Israeli forces to “reconcile their rules of engagement with international law and address impunity within their ranks by investigating all deaths at the hands of Israeli forces and settlers.

(WAFA, PC, SOCIAL)