Switzerland condemns the violence in the West Bank and in Israel
Switzerland “strongly condemns the escalation of violence and civilian casualties in the West Bank and Israel”. The Foreign Ministry’s communications chief, Nicolas Bideau, tweeted on Saturday that she appealed to everyone involved to exercise “extreme restraint”.
This content was published on January 29, 2023 – 11:01 am
Keystone-SDA/Reuters/ts
On Friday night, a 21-year-old Palestinian shot at passers-by near a synagogue in the Neve Yaacov district, killing seven before being shot dead. On Saturday morning, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy opened fire on a group of Israeli passers-by in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem, injuring two before being shot and injured by one of them, police said.
Friday’s attack — the deadliest in the Jerusalem area since 2008 — followed an Israeli army raid on Thursday in the West Bank city of Jenin that killed nine Palestinians, including seven gunmen and a woman in her 60s, and one cross-border fire on Friday between Israel and Gaza.
At least 30 Palestinians – militants and civilians – have been killed in the West Bank since the beginning of the month.
international reaction
The shooting on Friday, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, drew widespread condemnation, including from Washington, the United Nations and Israel’s Arab and Western allies.
Saudi Arabia, which has no formal ties with Israel, condemned the attack on civilians and said an escalation in violence must be stopped.
The Iran-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon praised the attack, as did Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad.
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