UN Rights Office Condemns Apparent Execution of Two Men

Three people walk through the streets of Jenin in the West Bank.

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said Friday it was “appalled” by the “brazen killing” of two Palestinian men by Israeli border police in the West Bank, describing it as “an apparent summary execution.”

The shooting occurred Thursday in Jenin and was reportedly caught on film by a TV channel, OHCHR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told journalists in Geneva.

He said an internal review was announced following the incident, but statements by a senior Israeli official appeared to absolve security forces, “raising serious concerns about the credibility of any future review or investigation conducted by any entity not fully independent from the Government.”

Surge in Killings

Laurence noted that killings of Palestinians by Israeli security forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank have been surging, often without accountability.

OHCHR has verified that Israeli forces and settlers have killed 1,030 Palestinians there, including 233 children, since 7 October 2023.

“Impunity for Israel security forces’ unlawful use of force, and the ever-growing Israeli settler violence, must end,” he said.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called for independent, prompt, and effective investigations, urging that those responsible be held fully accountable.