"The Europeans and the Americans, they imposed sanctions against Russia for the events that took place in Crimea, while they refrained from taking any actions against Israel, that has been occupying the Palestinian territory for the last 55 years. And we have been asking the international community to impose sanctions and punitive measures against Israel for their occupation of our land. So obviously, this really reflects double standards which we do not really accept," al-Maliki said.
Palestine, in particular, took note of the wording in statements issued by states around the world with regard to the recent escalation in the country's relations with Israel, the Palestinian top diplomat said, adding that the West had expressed condolences over the shootings in Jerusalem that killed several Israelis while choosing not to mention an Israeli deadly raid on the Jenin refugee camp.
"We see the double language when it comes to attacks committed by Israelis against us, vis-a-vis incidents when Palestinians individuals attack some Israelis. They are using the same descriptions when describing us, the Palestinians, that the Israelis use. While when it comes to attacks by Israel, they only talk about the need for de-escalation, but they never directly condemn Israel," al-Maliki told Sputnik.
On January 26, at least nine Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured as a result of an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. The next day, seven Israelis were killed in a suspected terrorist shooting in Jerusalem, and another two in a shooting at an archaeological site in the city the day after.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel and the West Bank from January 30-31 amid the heightened tensions between the sides. The US's top diplomat urged both Israel and Palestine to ensure de-escalation of tensions in their bilateral relations, but eventually left the region without offering any concrete measures to end the violence, al-Maliki told Sputnik.