UN probe accuses Israel of 'extermination' in West Bank

A UN panel has accused Israel of committing genocide in the West Bank, alongside continuing acts of genocide in Gaza, according to a report released on the cusp of Israel's upcoming general election. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry found that Israeli forces have carried out widespread and systematic attacks against civilians in the West Bank, employing military operations alongside settler violence.

Allegations of genocide, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence against Palestinians were also made. The commission's chairman, South African former High Court judge Navi Pillay, emphasized that these actions constitute an intentional strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians, aiming to impose living conditions that are no longer bearable.

The report further highlighted that the Palestinian Authority has been involved in targeting dissenting voices within its own ranks, leading to killings, and has not effectively investigated incidents of violence. The international community was urged to reject these accusations as a distortion of reality, demand the immediate dissolution of the commission, and reject its findings.