Israel must “in the future end the occupation (of the West Bank) as quickly as possible,” deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner said at a press briefing in Berlin, Anadolu Agency reported.
The German government has repeatedly made clear that the ongoing occupation of the West Bank is a major obstacle to a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, Wagner expressed also concern over the latest escalation in the West Bank as Israel has started a new major military offensive in the occupied territories.
“We are very concerned about the situation in the West Bank,” also against the background of increasing violence, the high number of civilian deaths and the extent of rights violations, he said.
As an occupying power, Israel “has also a duty to protect the civilian population,” especially when it comes to violent settlers, Wagner added.
The Israeli army killed 11 Palestinians in early Wednesday raids in the northern occupied West Bank.
On Wednesday, the Israeli army launched a major military operation in the northern West Bank, the largest in two decades, martyring more than 30 Palestinians, according to Al Jazeera.
The occupying army said the operation aims to thwart the threat of explosive devices in the northern West Bank.
At least 670 Palestinians have since been killed, nearly 5,400 others injured and over 10,300 arrested in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.
In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Quds.
MNA
