World reacts to rising violence in Israel-Palestine conflict | Israel-Palestine conflict News
World leaders called for calm amid rising violence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
On Thursday, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp during a raid.
On the same day, a Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces in the town of Al-Ram, north of Jerusalem, in one of the deadliest days in the occupied West Bank.
On Friday, a Palestinian terrorist shot and killed seven people near a synagogue in occupied East Jerusalem, after which he was fatally wounded.
On Saturday, a Palestinian shot and killed two Israelis in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, near the historic Old City of Jerusalem.
Here is how dignitaries around the world reacted to the escalation of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories:
UN Secretary General António Guterres
A spokesman for Guterres said the “terror attack” at a Jerusalem synagogue that killed seven people was “particularly heinous” because it took place at a place of worship on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The UN Human Rights Office has called for an end to the “endless cycle of violence” in the occupied West Bank, adding that it is “very concerned” by the rising death toll of Palestinians following one of the deadliest raids by the Israeli army in years.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
Abbas has declared three days of mourning for those killed in an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp. When he declared three days of mourning, he also said that the flags would be flown at half mast “for the souls of the martyrs of the massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupation.”
EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell
The head of the EU foreign policy and security policy strongly condemned “acts of insane violence and hatred” after the “terrifying terrorist attack” at the synagogue.
He also reacted to the Jenin refugee camp raid by saying that while the EU recognizes Israel’s “legitimate security concerns”, he stressed that “deadly force should only be used as a last resort when it is absolutely unavoidable to protect life.”
Borrell said Israeli forces had killed 30 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the year, calling on all parties to “reverse this spiral of violence and make constructive efforts to restart peace talks.”
US President Joe Biden
Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the shooting in Jerusalem that claimed the lives of seven Israelis. He said the incident “was an attack on the civilized world,” according to the White House transcript of their telephone conversation.
The President of the United States stressed the “iron” commitment of the United States to the security of Israel and agreed that his team will maintain constant contact with their Israeli counterparts.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen
“A very difficult Shabbat for all Israelis. I extend my condolences to the families of those killed in the horrific attack on the synagogue and pray with all Israelis for the recovery of those injured,” Cohen tweeted.
“We will act firmly to restore the security of the citizens of Israel.”
A very difficult Shabbat for all Israelis. I express my condolences to the families of those killed in the horrific attack on the synagogue and pray with all Israelis for the recovery of the wounded. We will act firmly to restore the security of the citizens of Israel.
— Eli Cohen Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) January 27, 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron
Macron denounced the “hateful” attack on the synagogue on Twitter.
“A spiral of violence must be avoided at all costs,” he added, saying his thoughts are with the victims, their families and the Israeli people.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelensky shared on Twitter that his country shares Israel’s pain after the terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and that a Ukrainian woman was among the victims of the synagogue shooting.
We share 🇮🇱 the pain after the terrorist attacks in Jerusalem. Among the victims 🇺🇦 is a woman. Sincere condolences to the families of the victims. The crimes were cynically committed on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Terror should have no place in the modern world. Neither in 🇮🇱 nor in 🇺🇦
– Vladimir Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) January 28, 2023
Russia
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on all parties to show “maximum restraint” and said it was following the latest developments “with deep concern.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Scholz said the “terrible” terrorist attacks in Jerusalem “deeply shocked” him.
The German Foreign Ministry condemned the “disgusting” shooting outside a synagogue on Friday and stressed that “dialogue and cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is more necessary than ever to eradicate terror.”
