UNITED NATIONS/ JERUSALEM: The United Nations chief on Thursday accused Israel of using disproportionate force against Palestinian groups in a recent raid and warned against escalating the violence.

A large-scale military operation by Israel in the occupied West Bank earlier this week killed 12 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

“There was an excessive force used by Israeli forces,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in New York.

Israel has “legitimate concerns over its security,” he said, adding: “But escalation is not the answer. It simply bolsters radicalisation and leads to a deepening cycle of violence and bloodshed.”

Guterres called Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in a crowded refugee camp “the worst violence in the West Bank in many years, with a significant impact on civilians, inclu­ding more than one hundred injured and thousands forced to flee”.

Israeli court acquits policeman of killing autistic Palestinian

“Restoring the hope of the Palestinian people in a meaningful political process, leading to a two-State solution and the end of the occupation, is an essential contribution by Israel to its own security,” Guterres added.

He also called on Israel, as an occupying power, to “ensure that the civilian population is protected against all acts of violence. “

‘Injustice’

On Thursday, an Israeli court acquitted a police officer of recklessly killing an unarmed Palestinian man with autism in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Iyad Hallak, 32, was shot dead in May 2020 while walking in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, after officers mistook him for an armed assailant. The Jerusalem district court said the defendant was “acquitted” of “reckless homicide”, in a decision decried by Hallak’s mother as “injustice”.

The officer standing trial “made an honest mistake thinking he was dealing with an armed terrorist who posed a real danger”, the court said, noting he had expressed “remorse” for his fatal error.

Hallak’s family had said he had the mental age of an eight-year-old, and witnesses said he panicked after being shouted at by police.

His mother, Rana Hallak, said after the verdict was pronounced: “My son is now in the grave and his killer is relaxing and going out and having a good time, and this is a particular injustice.” “(Iyad) created a special atmosphere within the family,” she added, sitting beside portraits of her son.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2023