Cairo, October 24 (QNA) – The Arab League has condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ escalation of crimes in Hebron and across the occupied West Bank.

It also decried Israeli threats to depopulate and decimate Palestinian neighborhoods, forcibly displace residents, attack them and their property, and violate the sanctity of religious sites, including through the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque.

In a statement Saturday, the League’s General Secretariat stressed that these actions come amid policies intended to alter the demographic and geographic realities of the occupied Palestinian territory.

It contended that these actions constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits individual or mass forcible transfers, collective punishment and the destruction of property in occupied territory, subject to the specific exceptions stipulated by the Convention.

Carrying out threats of forced depopulation and devastation could constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, depending on the nature of the acts and the circumstances in which they are perpetrated, the statement said.

It further stressed that closing the mosque and blocking worshipers’ access infringe on freedom of worship and the sanctity of religious sites, placing these actions at variance with Israel’s legal obligations as the occupying power.

The statement warned that the relentless policies of displacement, destruction and settlement expansion are exacerbating conditions in the West Bank and could prove a harbinger of a Nakba redux against the Palestinian people.

The League consequently called on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council and the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions, to take urgent and forceful action to halt these violations, protect Palestinian civilians, hold those responsible to account and bring an end to impunity.

The statement reaffirmed that Hebron and the rest of the occupied West Bank are integral parts of the Palestinian territory, emphasizing that Israeli attempts to alter their demographic and geographic character can’t confer legal rights or legitimize the occupation.

It further affirmed that ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and establish an independent state along the June 4, 1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, are indispensable to achieving a just and lasting peace. (QNA)