Summary:
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Apparently unnamed militants fired a barrage of rockets across the border, prompting Israeli citizens to seek cover and injuring at least two persons.
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‘Must be avoided’ is a wider escalationTor Wennesland, the UN’s special envoy for the Middle East peace process, denounced the firing of “indiscriminate rockets” from Lebanon in a tweet, calling it the biggest rocket fire invasion since 2006.”It must cease because it is unacceptable.
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Stun grenades and tear gas, and indiscriminately beat Muslim worshippers with batons and rifle butts.
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She stated that it was alleged that at least 450 Palestinian males had been detained, and that some of them had been kicked and slapped by escorting soldiers as they were brought away.
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“Careless and illegal”Asserting that Israel was “bound to respect” the Status Quo Agreement, Ms. Albanese criticised Israeli forces for their “reckless and unlawful” actions in allowing 165 Jewish Israelis to enter the facility.
Apparently unnamed militants fired a barrage of rockets across the border, prompting Israeli citizens to seek cover and injuring at least two persons.
Do not act unilaterally
Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated, “Concerning the situation between Lebanon and Israel, I can assure you that we condemn the numerous rockets being fired from Lebanon into northern Israel today.”
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, “remains in contact with authorities on both sides,” according to him, of the Blue Line, the boundary established by the UN in 2000 to certify Israeli withdrawal after its invasion of southern Lebanon.
The sides should communicate with UN peacekeepers “and avoid any unilateral action that could further escalate the situation,” Mr. Dujarric implores.
‘Must be avoided’ is a wider escalation
Tor Wennesland, the UN’s special envoy for the Middle East peace process, denounced the firing of “indiscriminate rockets” from Lebanon in a tweet, calling it the biggest rocket fire invasion since 2006.
“It must cease because it is unacceptable. There must be no more escalation, he added.
The most recent developments in the north increased tension between Israelis and Palestinians over security and access to a location considered sacred by Muslims and Jews alike: the Al-Aqsa mosque complex, which is also home to the central mosque known to Palestinians as Al-Qibli and is the third-most revered site in Islam.
The brutality between Israeli security personnel and Palestinian worshippers inside the mosque that day surprised and disgusted UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who expressed as much on Wednesday.
Hundreds of protesters were detained by Israeli police after they stormed the Al-Qibli mosque overnight amid wild images of beatings and fireworks being set off.
Independent expert: use of force was “blatantly excessive”
The independent expert on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory designated by the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday denounced what she called the “violent incursions” by Israeli soldiers on the complex as a whole and the assaults on mosque worshippers.
“Israeli authorities used blatantly excessive and unjustified force against Palestinian Muslims as they congregated for Ramadan prayers while exercising their right to worship in Al-Aqsa Mosque,” stated Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
She added that at least 31 Palestinians had apparently been hurt during the raid on Wednesday and claimed that paramedics had been stopped from treating the injured.
She stated in a press statement that first reports indicated Israeli forces had violently entered the mosque, fired sponge-tipped bullets, stun grenades and tear gas, and indiscriminately beat Muslim worshippers with batons and rifle butts.
She stated that it was alleged that at least 450 Palestinian males had been detained, and that some of them had been kicked and slapped by escorting soldiers as they were brought away.
“Careless and illegal”
Asserting that Israel was “bound to respect” the Status Quo Agreement, Ms. Albanese criticised Israeli forces for their “reckless and unlawful” actions in allowing 165 Jewish Israelis to enter the facility.
“Deep anxiety among Palestinians is caused by Israeli settlers’ well-known desire to either destroy the mosque or forcibly convert all or part of the compound into a synagogue, as happened to the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron,” she said.
She continued, “It is vital that all parties, without exception, abide by international law…Inaction in this regard encourages and supports the culture of injustice and impunity.
