A Lithuanian diplomat was part of the delegation that was fired upon by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
“Such incidents do not happen to diplomatic groups visiting pre-coordinated locations. In this case, the visit was organised by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and coordinated with Israeli security structures,” Nida Dalmantaitė, head of Lithuania’s Office for Relations with Palestine, told LRT TV.
According to her, the diplomats were standing with the governor of Jenin at the entrance to a refugee camp. The visit was proceeding calmly, and its purpose, she said, was humanitarian – to find out what was happening in the camp.
“The diplomats were practically wrapping up their visit after a discussion. The visit was coming to an end when shots were fired – some of the diplomats were still very close to the barrier at that moment,” she said.
“The real question was why the shots were fired and whether they were necessary – were they deliberate, or was it meant to show that we were not welcome in that area?” Dalmantaitė added.
She said diplomats first did not realise what had happened.
“The first thought was that there might have been some sort of shooting inside the camp itself, although no refugees are living there anymore – they’ve all been relocated. But after reviewing the video footage, it became clear that the shots were fired in our direction,” she said.
The Israeli military had earlier stated that soldiers had fired warning shots on Wednesday after the visiting diplomats in Jenin, located in the occupied West Bank, deviated from their approved route.
The army’s statement said there were no reports of injuries and added that it “regrets the inconvenience caused”.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Wednesday condemned the shooting and urged Israel to “immediately provide explanations”. He also summoned the Israeli ambassador.
The incident comes amid growing international pressure on Israel over the war in Gaza.
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