Palestinian children bearing brunt of West Bank conflict, UK tells UN

Palestinian children are disproportionately affected by the escalating violence in the West Bank, enduring repeated trauma, displacement, and significant disruption to their education, the United Kingdom informed the United Nations.

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Children are among those most affected by conflict. They are being exposed to repeated violence, displacement, and disruption due to movement restrictions and military operations.

In a statement delivered at the UN in New York on Tuesday, the UK condemned the rising violence, noting that 13 Palestinians and two Israelis were killed in July alone. "Children are among those most affected by conflict. They are being exposed to repeated violence, displacement, and disruption due to movement restrictions and military operations," the statement detailed.

The UK specifically condemned the demolition of three donor-funded classrooms at Sha’ab al Butum School by Israeli forces on August 4, just weeks before the academic year was set to begin. "We call on the Government of Israel to fulfil their obligations to protect the Palestinian population of the occupied territory," the UK urged.

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We call on the Government of Israel to fulfil their obligations to protect the Palestinian population of the occupied territory.

Citing a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report from July, the UK highlighted over 1,300 settler-related incidents affecting more than 250 Palestinian communities. These incidents resulted in approximately 900 Palestinians injured and over 3,200 displaced, while three Israelis were killed and 24 injured this year. The UK also denounced recent settler attacks on Palestinian villages, some occurring alongside Israeli Defense Force personnel, calling them "appalling" and "not isolated incidents."

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Recent attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian villages and communities, in some cases alongside Israeli Defense Force personnel, are appalling. These are not isolated incidents.

While welcoming recent arrests and indictments by Israeli authorities against perpetrators of settler violence, the UK stressed that "much more must be done to prevent and prosecute acts of violence." The statement also called for Israeli security measures to be proportionate and consistent with international law, and for an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid in Gaza, echoing Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's sentiment that conditions for Gazans "remain appalling."

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But perpetrators have acted with impunity for too long. And much more must be done to prevent and prosecute acts of violence.