Israeli forces opened fire to intimidate a foreign diplomatic delegation as they arrived at the entrance to the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.
“The Israeli army, in violation of diplomatic norms, opened fire as a delegation of 35 ambassadors, consuls and diplomats approached the camp, which has been under siege since January 21,” said Ahmed al-Deek, the Palestinian deputy foreign minister.
Deek, who was with the delegation himself, said the shooting was aimed at intimidating the delegation and preventing them from entering the camp.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the delegation included diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the European Union, Portugal, China, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Japan, Romania, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Canada, India, Chile, France and the United Kingdom, along with representatives from several other countries.
Deek condemned the Israeli actions, calling for an end to the ongoing attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and blockaded Gaza.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry organized the diplomats’ visit to witness the ongoing Israeli military offensive, following a similar visit to Tulkarem in the northern West Bank last week.
