AMMAN, Jordan

Jordan emphasized on Sunday the need for a strong international response to Israel's "severe violations" in Palestinian cities, asserting that the ongoing occupation was the "root of all evil."

In a statement by its Foreign Ministry, Jordan strongly condemned the "systematic destruction" of infrastructure in northern cities of the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have been conducting a deadly military operation over the past several days.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemns in the strongest terms the continued aggressive, systematic attacks on Palestinians and their cities in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as the deliberate and barbaric destruction of Palestinian infrastructure in northern West Bank cities," the statement said.

The ministry stressed that Israel's "severe violations of international humanitarian law must not go unanswered by the international community, which must also act to deter the extremist, exclusionary ministers of Israel's government."

"The continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is the root of all evil, and its end is necessary to achieve security and stability in the region," said the ministry.

It condemned "Israeli unilateral actions, racist statements, and false claims made by ministers in the Israeli government, who are attempting to impose new realities that entrench the occupation and incite against Palestinians."

The statement also highlighted that "the evacuation and displacement of Palestinians constitute a blatant violation of international law."

"The international community must work seriously to fulfill the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of their independent, sovereign state along the June 4, 1967, borders with Jerusalem as its capital," it said.

Since Wednesday, the Israeli army has launched its largest military operation in the northern West Bank since 2002. The operation has resulted in the deaths of at least 26 Palestinians, according to Israeli military sources.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 40,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 676 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,400 others injured, and over 10,300 arrested in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi