Arab nations condemn Israeli raid in West Bank

Several Arab countries and organizations are condemning a major Israeli raid launched Monday against an alleged terrorist base in the city of Jenin after at least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens injured.

Arab nations that have traditionally sided with Palestine in its long conflict with Israel spoke out forcefully just hours after the operation.

Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement condemned the “innocent civilian casualties in the excessive and indiscriminate use of force” in the operation.

Egyptian officials also warned of the “grave dangers” of what they said were increased attacks against the Palestinian people.

Jordan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry called for international cooperation to end the “disastrous consequences of the Israeli aggression on Jenin,” joining Iran and Turkey in speaking out against the military raid.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) began mass air strikes and sent in hundreds of soldiers to clear out the Jenin camp, which Israel said is a major base of operations for terrorist groups to launch attacks and manufacture and distribute weapons.

The IDF operation has allegedly included bulldozers tearing up streets and buildings while rockets have reportedly struck populated refugee areas.

Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a spokesperson for the IDF, said there are sites in Jenin used by terrorists next to schools and humanitarian organizations.

“We’re ready to do this as long as it takes,” he told a local outlet, adding that forces were seeking to “break the mindset of a safe haven for terrorists.”

Ahmed Gheit, secretary-general of the League of Arab States, said “the bombing of cities and camps by planes, the bulldozing of houses and roads, is a collective punishment and revenge that will only lead to further detonation of the situation.”

“I appeal to the advocates of peace in the world to intervene immediately to stop this ominous and criminal process,” he tweeted.

Lynn Hastings, a United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator for Palestine, said she was “alarmed” by the scale of the Israeli operation in Jenin.

“Access to all injured must be ensured,” Hastings tweeted.

The violence in the Israeli-occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza has increased this year, fueling concerns about another major conflict in the Middle East.

The IDF has responded aggressively to Palestinian militant activity under hardline Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in operations it says are tasked with defending its people.

Netanyahu has also been accused of allowing settlement expansions in Israel that are displacing the Palestinian people.

U.S. officials have yet to make a statement on the Jenin raid, which comes just ahead of the Fourth of July celebrations, a traditional holiday break for Americans.

Washington is a major ally of Israel but supports a two-state solution between Palestine and Israel.

The Council on Islamic-American Relations, a major Muslim advocacy organization that has repeatedly spoken out against Israeli military activity, called for the U.S. to respond to Israeli military activity.

“The Israeli government is completely out of control because it does not expect to face any consequences from the Biden administration,” said national executive director Nihad Awad in a statement. “This must change.”

This story was updated at 4:17 p.m.