Palestine Decries West's Double-Standard in Application of Sanctions
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Palestinian Foreign Minister denounced the West's selective application of sanctions, punishing Russia for the war in Ukraine while ignoring Israel's occupation of the West Bank and violence against Palestinians.
"We reject the double standards reflected by European and American sanctions against Russia for events in Crimea, while taking no action against Israel's 55-year occupation of Palestinian territory," Riad al-Maliki said in an interview with Sputnik. He added that Palestine is calling for the international community to impose sanctions on Israel for its occupation of the land.
The top diplomat also noted that Palestine was paying close attention to the language used in statements from countries regarding the recent escalation in its relationship with Israel. He pointed out that while the West expressed condolences for the shootings in Jerusalem al-Quds that killed Israelis, they did not mention the Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp that resulted in Palestinian fatalities.
"We see the double language when it comes to attacks committed by Israelis against us, vis-a-vis incidents when Palestinian individuals attack some Israelis. They are using the same descriptions when describing us, the Palestinians, that the Israelis use. While when it comes to attacks by Israel, they only talk about the need for de-escalation, but they never directly condemn Israel," al-Maliki told Sputnik.
On January 26, at least nine Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured as a result of an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. The next day, seven Israelis were killed in a shooting in Jerusalem al-Quds, and another two in a shooting at an archaeological site in the city the day after.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited occupied Palestine and the West Bank on January 30-31 amid the heightened tensions between the sides. The US's top diplomat urged both Israel and Palestine to ensure de-escalation of tensions in their bilateral relations, but eventually left the region without offering any concrete measures to end the violence, al-Maliki told Sputnik.
