Diplomatic delegation comes under fire

Diplomatic delegation comes under fire

Widespread international condemnation after Israeli gunfire targets diplomatic delegation

Several countries condemned the Israeli forces' firing on an international diplomatic delegation at the eastern entrance to the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank on Wednesday.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described the warning shots fired by the Israeli army at the diplomats as "unacceptable" threats on Wednesday. Tajani wrote in a post on Instagram: "We ask the Israeli government for immediate clarification of what happened. Threats against diplomats are unacceptable." A statement issued by the Italian Foreign Ministry stated that Tajani summoned the Israeli ambassador regarding the incident.

Spain, for its part, "strongly condemned" the Israeli shooting during the diplomats' visit. A brief statement from the Spanish Foreign Ministry read: "The ministry is investigating everything that happened. A Spaniard was among the group of diplomats and is safe. We are in contact with other countries concerned to provide a joint response to what happened, which we strongly condemn."

For her part, EU foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas considered any threat to the lives of diplomats "unacceptable," adding to reporters in Brussels, "We call on Israel to investigate this incident and demand that those responsible be held accountable."

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévost demanded Israel provide "convincing clarifications" regarding the incident, explaining via the X platform that the Belgian diplomat was "fortunately fine," stressing that "these diplomats were on an official visit to Jenin, coordinated with the Israeli army, in a convoy of 20 clearly identifiable vehicles."

The German Foreign Ministry also stated, "We demand that the Israeli government immediately clarify the circumstances," expressing its "strong condemnation of the unjustified shooting." French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also announced that Paris would summon the Israeli ambassador following the "unacceptable" shooting.

Barrow wrote on his X platform: "A visit to Jenin, in which one of our diplomats participated, was fired upon by Israeli soldiers. This is unacceptable. The Israeli ambassador will be summoned for clarification. We affirm our full support for our staff on the ground and for their outstanding work under these difficult circumstances."

For its part, Egypt condemned Israel's shooting at the diplomatic delegation and expressed its absolute rejection of what happened, noting that the Egyptian ambassador to Ramallah was part of the delegation. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry described what happened to the diplomatic delegation as a "violation of agreements and diplomatic norms."

What happened?

On Wednesday, Israeli forces opened fire on an international diplomatic delegation at the eastern entrance to the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, according to the Palestinian News Agency.

The agency stated that this occurred while the diplomatic delegation was at the entrance to the Jenin camp "to examine the tragic reality of the camp."

It reported that Israeli soldiers stationed in Jenin camp "directly and intensively fired live ammunition at the diplomatic delegation while it was in the vicinity of Jenin camp to review the conditions of the camp and the siege imposed on it."

It noted that "while the delegation was near the iron gate installed by the occupation forces at the eastern entrance of the camp, the occupation forces opened heavy fire at the delegation and a group of journalists covering the visit."

It noted that "a diplomatic delegation from Arab and foreign ministries visited the Jenin Governorate headquarters this morning and reviewed the conditions of the city and the camp. The governor provided a detailed explanation of the city's economic situation, the impact of the aggression on the city's facilities of life, commercial losses, and the destruction of infrastructure, in addition to the conditions of the 22,000 displaced persons forced by the occupation forces to leave their homes in the camp."

According to the agency, the delegation included ambassadors from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the European Union, Portugal, China, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Japan, Romania, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Canada, India, Chile, France, the United Kingdom, and several other countries.

Israeli military responds

The Israeli military admitted firing "warning shots" after the diplomats "deviated" from the established route in the West Bank.

In a statement, it said: "Earlier today, a diplomatic delegation entered Jenin with careful coordination. During the coordination process, the delegation members were given an approved route, given their presence in an active combat zone."

It explained that "according to the initial investigation, the delegation deviated from its route and reached a prohibited area. An IDF force operating at that point opened evasive fire. The incident resulted in no damage or injuries."

He continued: "The commander of the West Bank Division, Brigadier General Yaki Dolev, will conduct an immediate investigation into the incident. The head of the Civil Administration, Brigadier General Hisham Ibrahim, also ordered the unit's officers to immediately contact the countries' representatives and will soon hold personal talks with the diplomats to update them on the results of the initial investigation into the matter. The IDF expresses its regret for the inconvenience this has caused