On Wednesday, the governments of Canada and Mexico requested explanations from the authorities of Israel for the shots fired by its military forces at a delegation of international diplomats in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Canadian Foreign Minister, Anita Anand, has instructed her team to summon the Israeli ambassador to convey Canada’s “serious concerns” and stated that she expects a “thorough investigation and accountability”.
What happened in the West Bank?
“I have spoken with the head of the Canadian diplomatic mission in Ramallah. I can confirm that four of our members were part of the delegation visiting the West Bank when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired nearby. It is a relief to know that our team is safe,” he recounted.
On the other hand, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs said tonight that it will “request the Embassy of Israel in Mexico to provide the clarifications that the case warrants”, after confirming that the head and deputy representative of the Latin American country’s representation office in Palestine, Pedro Blanco Pérez and Julio César Escobedo Flores, have been affected.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, has personally contacted Blanco to make sure that both diplomats, who were unharmed, are in good health and to convey to them the “full support” of the diplomatic department.
Likewise, Mexico rejected Israel’s statements that the delegation had invaded an “unauthorized zone”: “There is no record of this happening or of any official approaching the delegation to verbally and timely warn about the above.”
Finally, the Mexican minister warned that “what happened goes against what is stipulated” in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which establishes the inviolability of diplomatic personnel. "All States parties to the said Convention, and Israel is one of them, are obliged to respect it," he recalled.
What is the accusation against Israel?
The Palestinian National Authority accused the Israeli army of opening fire on a delegation of diplomats visiting Jenin and called for a strong response.
Several of the affected countries condemned the incident, and some, such as Spain, Italy, and France, summoned their respective ambassadors from Israel.
On the other hand, the Israeli army confirmed “warning shots” against the delegation and stated that the diplomats deviated from the approved route, entering an area where their presence was not authorized.
What is the difference between the West Bank and Gaza?
Both the West Bank and Gaza are Palestinian territories captured by Israel, as well as East Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War of 1967.
But there are important geographical differences: while Gaza is an enclave to the south of Israel on the border with Egypt, the West Bank is a much larger territory, located between Israel and Jordan, with cities such as Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin, and Hebron.
Politically, Gaza is controlled by Hamas, while in the West Bank the predominant group Fatah has been negotiating with Israel for decades, and thanks to the Oslo Accords of 1993, it managed to create the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which has limited control over some sectors of the West Bank territory.
Israel has built dozens of settlements throughout the West Bank, which have over 500,000 residents, despite international criticism labeling them as illegal. The settlers are Israeli citizens, while three million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli military rule.