The Diplomat The Government yesterday asked Israel to put an end to the military operations that it has been carrying out since last Wednesday in the West Bank, which it considers “very serious”. Through a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish Executive states that “Israel's military operations extending violence in the West Bank are very serious, and must be stopped.” The statement is in line with what was expressed on Thursday in Dakar by the President of the Government, who declared: “From the Government of Spain we have always defended the international order, respect for international law and therefore the total and resounding condemnation of any suffering experienced by the population, in this case the Palestinian population, whether in Gaza or in the West Bank.” The text issued by the Foreign Ministry also states that “the statements questioning the legal status of the Holy Places of Jerusalem are unacceptable”, after the Israeli Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, expressed his intention to build a synagogue on the Esplanade of the Mosques, considered the third sacred Muslim place. “At a critical moment we reiterate the call for respect for international law and humanitarian law, for containment and de-escalation”, concludes the statement from the Spanish Government. The Spanish demand coincides with the announcement made by the Israeli Army claiming that it has killed a senior member of the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the West Bank city of Jenin, an event that has left three Palestinians dead and which is part of the large-scale operation launched on Wednesday in the north of the West Bank, which has resulted in more than 15 Palestinians dead to date. In a statement posted on its website, the Israeli army said that among the dead was Uasam Hazem, whom it identified as "head of the Hamas terrorist organisation in Jenin" and linked to several armed and explosive attacks against its security forces.
