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Antony Blinken urges Israeli and Palestinian leaders to 'end the cycle of violence'
The Arab News reported, citing the AFP, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders Tuesday to “end the cycle of violence” after a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides in recent days.
The State Department said, in separate calls with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Blinken stressed “the importance of Israelis and Palestinians working to end the cycle of violence in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza by exercising restraint and refraining from actions that escalate tensions."
Lapid said he updated the top US diplomat on Tuesday about Israel’s efforts to ensure freedom of worship in Jerusalem, after clashes with Israeli riot police on Friday inside the Al Aqsa mosque compound in which at least 152 Palestinians were wounded.
Lapid blamed “hundreds of Islamic extremists” for rioting and spreading disinformation that inflame tensions.
He said on Twitter: “I told @SecBlinken that Israel will not tolerate calls in support of violence, and I emphasized the need for international support for returning calm to Jerusalem."
Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, Abbas told Blinken that “brutal attacks” by Israeli forces and settlers on the mosque compound and Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities and villages “will lead to dire and unbearable consequences.”
Israeli air strikes hit Gaza in response to rocket fire amid soaring tensions
Israeli security forces have been on high alert after a series of deadly Arab street attacks throughout the country over the past two weeks. Confrontations at the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s walled Old City pose the risk of sparking a slide back into a broader conflagration like last year’s Gaza war.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said, on Monday (Apr 18), Blinken talked with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi by phone and discussed the importance of Israelis and Palestinians working to end the violence and refraining from escalatory actions.
Price said in a statement Tuesday (Apr 19): “Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount, and appreciation for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s special role as custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem."
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli raid over Al-Aqsa Mosque and attack on Palestinian worshippers
State media said, Jordan’s King Abdullah said Israel’s “unilateral” moves against Muslim worshippers at Al Aqsa mosque undermined the prospects for peace in the region.
The monarch, in a call with the United Nations secretary general on Monday, blamed Israel for “provocative acts” in the mosque compound that violated “the legal and historic status quo” of the Muslim holy shrines.
King Abdullah’s Hashemite monarchy has been custodian of the sites since 1924, paying for their upkeep and deriving part of its legitimacy from the role.
Palestine condemns Israel for approving settlement construction in West Bank
The report noted that tensions this year have been heightened in part by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coinciding with the Jewish celebration of Passover.
Source: arabnews
