A report prepared and published by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) accused the state of Israel of failing to prosecute Israeli soldiers and settlers who commit crimes against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, the Arabs48 News Website reported.The report said that there is a serious increase in attacks carried out by settlers and soldiers against the unarmed Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem.
The report was submitted to the Human Rights Council during its Monday session in Geneva, and states that “Israel has failed to conduct the needed legal measures against Israeli soldiers and settlers who practice violence against the Palestinians and their property”.
The report also revealed that an Israeli soldier, who was questioned by Israel for killing a Palestinian mother and her daughter, never faced charges until this moment, and said that three Israeli young settlers were placed under house arrest for five days for attacking a Palestinian family with firebombs leading to serious injuries.
The Human Rights Council said that “such attacks are frequent, and escalating in many cases, and target Palestinian civilians and their property”.
It stressed on the fact that Israel is obliged to protect the Palestinians, and when violence is practiced against them, Israel, as the occupying country, is obliged to prosecute the assailants.
The Council also stated that Jewish settlers, and soldiers, cut and uprooted more than 500 Olive trees since the beginning of last month, an issue that deprived Palestinian families from their main source of livelihood.
Israeli settler attacks against the Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem did not only target the residents, their homes, property and lands, but several racist attacks targeted holy sites and included burning and defacing several mosques and churches, in addition to defacing Muslim and Christian graveyards. Several attacks were also carried out against property that belongs to Israeli peace groups and some of their members.