“Warning shots” fired by the Israeli army at diplomats in the West Bank

Israeli troops fired “warning shots” at a group of 25 diplomats visiting Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Wednesday, provoking strong reactions from the international community.

Footage shows some diplomats giving interviews to the media when gunshots are heard nearby, forcing them to run for cover. The delegation included ambassadors and diplomats representing 31 countries, such as Italy, Canada, Egypt, Jordan, the United Kingdom, China, and Russia.

The group was on an official mission organized by the Palestinian Authority to document the humanitarian crisis in the area. The Israeli army stated that the visit had been approved, but the delegation “deviated from the approved route,” prompting soldiers to fire warning shots to remove them from the area.

The Israeli army expressed regret for the “distress” and announced the launch of an investigation into the incident.

Ministers from Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and other European countries summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their respective capitals to answer for the “unacceptable” incident, as relations between Israel and the West are strained over Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.

At the same time, a man shot and killed two employees of the Israeli embassy in the United States on Wednesday night (local time) outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, where an event was taking place, shouting “Freedom for Palestine.”