West Bank Risks ‘Spiraling Out of Control’, Warns Rights Chief 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a speech at the opening of the 53rd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, on June 19, 2023. (AFP)
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a speech at the opening of the 53rd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, on June 19, 2023. (AFP)
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West Bank Risks ‘Spiraling Out of Control’, Warns Rights Chief 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a speech at the opening of the 53rd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, on June 19, 2023. (AFP)
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a speech at the opening of the 53rd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, on June 19, 2023. (AFP)

The United Nations high commissioner for human rights said on Friday that the situation in the occupied West Bank was deteriorating sharply, adding that Israeli forces had killed at least seven Palestinians including children in a refugee camp. 

"This week's violence in the occupied West Bank risks spiraling out of control, fueled by strident political rhetoric, and an escalation in the use of advanced military weaponry by Israel," Volker Turk said in a statement via a spokesperson at a UN press briefing, calling on Israel to bring its actions into line with international law. 

The weaponry included helicopter gunships and drones, the spokesperson added. 

The air strikes on Jenin refugee camp represented a "major intensification of the use of weaponry more generally associated with the conduct of armed hostilities, rather than a law enforcement situation," he said. 

"Israel must urgently reset its policies and actions in the West Bank in line with international human rights standards, including protecting and respecting the right to life," he said. 



Egypt Calls on Int’l Donors to Fulfill Pledges to Support Sudan, Refugee-Hosting Countries

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Egypt Calls on Int’l Donors to Fulfill Pledges to Support Sudan, Refugee-Hosting Countries

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo, 23 July, 2024. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt on Tuesday called on international donors to swiftly fulfill their pledges to support Sudan, and its neighboring refugee-hosting countries after millions of Sudanese have been displaced due to the conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

“Egypt is in ongoing talks with donor countries and humanitarian organizations to urge them to share the burden with Sudan’s caretaker government and neighboring countries,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said during a meeting with his Sudanese counterpart Hussein Awad in Cairo.

Since the conflict erupted in Sudan in mid-April 2023, some 10 million have been displaced within the country or have fled into neighboring countries, making it the largest displacement crisis globally, according to UN statistics.

Abdelatty reiterated Egypt's unwavering support for the stability and safety of Sudan and its people, stressing Cairo's commitment to helping the Sudanese people overcome political, security, and humanitarian challenges caused by the ongoing war.

Early this month, Egypt hosted the Sudanese Political and Civil Forces Conference aimed at ending the war in the country.

According to the Egyptian FM, the Conference affirmed the need to maintain state institutions, deliver aid to Sudan and its neighbors, and ensure Sudanese control over the political process.

A Foreign Ministry statement said during their meeting in Cairo on Tuesday, Abdelatty and Awad reviewed the latest progress of the ongoing Egyptian development projects in Sudan, such as the electrical interconnection project and the reconstruction and development of Wadi Halfa Port.

Abdelatty pledged Egypt's continued commitment to completing these projects, the statement noted.

He called on international donors to quickly fulfill their pledges made at the conferences in Geneva and Paris to support Sudan, its neighboring refugee-hosting countries, and the UN humanitarian response plan.

Abdelatty said Egypt is in ongoing talks with donor countries and humanitarian organizations to urge them to share the burden with Sudan’s caretaker government and neighboring countries.

Egypt has received more than half a million of Sudanese fleeing the war, in addition to more than 5 million Sudanese who already reside in Egyptian cities, according to Egyptian government estimates.

For his part, the Sudanese minister thanked Egypt for the facilities and services provided to Sudanese citizens since the crisis began, including health and educational services, according to the Egyptian statement.

He also praised Egypt’s initiatives aimed at resolving the Sudanese crisis.

Abdelatty and Awad touched on several regional issues such as the situation in the Horn of Africa, the Gaza Strip crisis, the Red Sea security, the situation in Libya, and the Sahel–Saharan region.

They also discussed the dispute caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), reaffirming the unified stance of both countries on water security.