Diplomats from EU visit West Bank village amid increasing Israeli-Palestinian conflicts
August 6, 2021, 5:04 am

Diplomats from EU visit West Bank village amid increasing Israeli-Palestinian conflicts

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According to the Xinhua, a group of diplomats from European countries paid a visit on Thursday to the West Bank village Beita as conflicts and violence between local Palestinians and Israeli forces continued to increase in the area.

The Xinhua reported that an official statement said: "The European Union (EU) and like-minded countries visited Beita village in response to rising levels of settlers' violence and the building of an illegal Israeli outpost on top of Mount Sabih, resulting in regular clashes and casualties."

The delegation includes representatives from the EU, as well as such countries as Germany, Italy, France and Spain, the statement said, adding that the diplomats held talks with local residents about the region's development during the trip.

The Israeli outpost near Beita, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, has caused regular clashes between the Palestinians, Israeli settlers and Israeli soldiers, leaving at least six Palestinians dead and hundreds of others wounded by Israeli forces' attacks since May.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the total number of Israeli settlers' attacks across the West Bank in 2021 has increased by 46 percent compared to the same period in 2020.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.