Blinken calls for ‘calm’ amid fresh Israeli-Palestinian violence
Jerusalem, Jan 30 (EFE).- US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Monday called on Israelis and Palestinians to “calm tensions” in the midst of a new wave of violence in the region.
Blinken made his remarks after he arrived at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport from Egypt, as part of a brief tour to the Middle East.
“It is the responsibility of everyone to take steps to calm tensions, rather than to inflame them,” he said.
“That is the only way to halt the rising tide of violence that has taken too many lives, too many Israelis, too many Palestinians,” he added.
Tensions have been running high in the region after a series of Palestinian attacks and Israeli military raids, which have left more than 20 people killed in less than a week.
Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen thanked Blinken for the condemnations made by the US against terrorism following the recent deadly Palestinian attacks and referenced their joint cooperation on regional issues.
During his visit, Blinken will seek to further expand bilateral economic and security partnerships between Israel and US.
Blinken is scheduled to talk to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, president Isaac Herzog and Cohen.
He is also set to meet Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Tuesday to discuss the de-escalation of Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
On Friday, US president Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu to condemn a Palestinian attack that killed seven Israelis outside a synagogue in East Jerusalem.EFE
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