West Bank violence could spiral 'out of control': UN

The new outbreak of violence in the occupied West Bank could spiral out of control, the UN human rights chief warned June 23.

The new outbreak of violence in the occupied West Bank could spiral out of control, the UN human rights chief warned June 23.

This week, at least 18 people have been killed in the territory -- in incursions by the Israeli military or attacks by Palestinians or Jewish settlers.

"These latest killings and the violence, along with the inflammatory rhetoric, serve only to drive Israelis and Palestinians deeper into an abyss," Volker Turk said in a statement.

So far this year, more than 200 people have died in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the vast majority of them Palestinians.

Deadly violence has flared in recent days in the northern West Bank, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups where Israel has stepped up military operations.

Turk said this week's violence was being fuelled by strident political rhetoric and an escalation in the use of advanced military weaponry by Israel.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the sharp deterioration was having a terrible impact on both Palestinians and Israelis, and called for an immediate end to the violence.