Geneva, Feb 17, IRNA — Israeli security measures in the West Bank were severely impacting Palestinian daily life, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Wednesday.
Conditions for Palestinians in the territory were difficult and “living a normal life is close to impossible for many people in the West Bank,” the humanitarian organization said in a statement.
“The ICRC has repeatedly called for action to be taken to allow Palestinians to live their lives in dignity,” Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, the head of Middle East operations said.
Checkpoints and roadblocks, some connected to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, were primary causes of the disruption of normal life, the Red Cross said.
The organization, considered the legal “guardian” of international humanitarian law, said in its view the Israeli settlements were “illegal.”
The barrier Israel was completing in the West Bank was also “contrary to international humanitarian law,” the statement said.
“Israel must find the right balance between meeting its legitimate security needs and safeguarding the basic rights of the Palestinian population,” Megevand-Roggo was quoted as saying.
Palestinians were facing attacks from Israeli settlers and were losing land to settlements, the ICRC charged, saying this too violated the Fourth Geneva Convention.