Date: 4 March 2023: The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR): On 1 March 2023, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Finance Minister and co-founder of Regavim, a settler organization, stated during a conference that “the village of Huwwara needs to be wiped out” and that the State of Israel should do it”.[1]
The statement was made one day after hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers violently stormed the village of Huwwara, located north of the occupied West Bank on 26 February under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces and backing of the Israeli government, setting dozens of houses, facilities, and vehicles ablaze and killing a Palestinian with a live bullet and injuring dozens, in a campaign which lasted for nearly 8 hours. [2]
Such a statement from a very senior official in the Israeli government reveals the true face of the Israel occupation which intends to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their homes and land, and annex and settle their lands for the exclusive benefit of Jewish Israelis.
It comes as natural consequence of Israel’s 55-year-old illegal occupation of Occupied Palestinian Territory, through which it imposed an apartheid regime on Palestinians, and used excessive force to suppress and oppress any form of resistance.
The lack of accountability by the international community for the crimes and violations carried out against the Palestinian people has also played a key role in bringing about such a situation. Successive Israeli governments have enjoyed political and legal immunity, especially by the United States and Europe, in international forums and before their local courts, enabling them to escape without any consequences for their violations of international law.
PCHR warns that if Israel is not held accountable for its actions and international law is not activated against them, then events in Huwwara will become the norm, and the likes of, Bezalel Smotrich, will continue to encourage committing massacres against the Palestinian people undeterred.
PCHR reiterates that it will continue to work tirelessly to hold Israel accountable for its violations and crimes in international forums, including the International Criminal Court, and calls on the international community to intervene immediately to hold Israel accountable and unconditionally bring to an end Israel’s illegal occupation of the OPT.
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[1] Middle East Eye, “’Huwwara should be wiped out’, says Israeli minister “, 1 March 2023, available at: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-huwwara-wiped-out-face-earth-minister.
[2] PCHR, “In Worst Form of Collective Punishment and Retaliatory Measures: Palestinian Killed and Dozens of Houses, Vehicles and Facilities Burnt in Widescale Settlers’ Attacks in Nablus,” 27 February 2023, available at:
