Harare, (New Ziana)-The Palestinian ambassador to Zimbabwe has strongly condemned what he described as a “harrowing act of barbarity” in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers allegedly forced a Palestinian family to exhume the body of their 80-year-old father from a newly dug grave in their village.
In a statement, ambassador Tamer Almassri said the incident involving the late Hussein Asasa represented “a clear example of the extreme measures that Israeli settlers are willing to take to assert their dominance over the Palestinian population.”
”This heinous act, which was carried out despite the family having all the necessary permits, is a clear example of the extreme measures that Israeli settlers are willing to take to assert their dominance over the Palestinian population and a stark reminder of the systematic dehumanization of Palestinians that is unfolding across the Occupied Palestinian Territories that spares no one- neither the living nor the dead,” he said.
The condemnation by the ambassador comes amid growing international concern over escalating violence in the occupied West Bank since October 2023. Almassri noted that attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians had increased drastically over the past months, with at least 13 Palestinians reportedly killed within a single month, hundreds injured and many others displaced from their homes.
He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of accelerating illegal settlement expansion while empowering settlers and soldiers to carry out violence against Palestinians.
“Netanyahu’s fascist government, which staunchly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, continues to expand illegal settlements and embolden settlers and soldiers to use their weapons against Palestinians, posing an increasing threat to their safety and livelihoods,” Almassri said.
The ambassador also drew attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where he said the death toll from Israeli military operations had risen to 72,740, with 172,192 others wounded since 2023.
He added that more than 12,000 people were still believed to be trapped beneath rubble.
Almassri called on the international community to take urgent action against Israel’s conduct in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“The international community has a moral obligation to condemn the Israeli government’s actions and hold them accountable for their crimes,” he said.
He further criticised what he described as global inaction, arguing that Israel had been allowed to act “with impunity for so long” due to the failure of world powers and international institutions to take decisive measures.
“The United Nations and other international organisations must take a strong stance against these actions and demand respect for the rights of the Palestinian people,” he said.
