UN chief urges protection as Israel suspends observer force | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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UN chief urges protection as Israel suspends observer force

Palestinians stand in front of headquarters of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), in the West Bank city of Hebron, Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. Israel says it is suspending operations of TIPH observer force in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron after over 20 years. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

JERUSALEM - The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hopes an agreement can be reached to protect Palestinians in the West Bank after Israel said it would suspend the mandate of an international observation mission.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement Saturday that Guterres was "grateful" to the five countries that contributed to conflict prevention and the protection of Palestinians under the Temporary International Presence in Hebron for the past 22 years.

On Friday, the TIPH countries — Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Italy and Turkey — condemned in a joint statement the Israeli government's unilateral decision not to extend the observer force's mission in the flashpoint city.

Hundreds of hard-line Jewish settlers guarded by thousands of soldiers live in the heart of Hebron, which has a population of over 200,000 Palestinians.

News from © The Associated Press, 2019
The Associated Press

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