US President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with top Israeli leaders on Wednesday to discuss the unfolding situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. The region has seen intense exchanges of rocket fire, airstrikes and violence in recent weeks with no end in sight, and the leaders called on all parties to exercise restraint and end the fighting.
In line with US policy, Biden, in his conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed his “unwavering support” for Israeli security and its right to defend itself and its people. Biden stressed that Jerusalem “must be a place of peace,” and encouraged the PM to restore sustainable calm in the city. Tensions have soared in Jerusalem recently over forced evictions of Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. As they await a decision by Israel’s Supreme Court regarding the highly contentious issue, Palestinians have resorted to protests, leading to confrontations with settlers and the police. The instability has compounded in the face of Israel’s oppressive restrictions for Ramadan, which led to violent clashes at the al-Aqsa mosque over the weekend.
Biden further condemned the rocket attacks undertaken by Hamas and other terrorist groups, including against Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Austin and Blinken, in talks with their counterparts (as well as in Blinken’s call with Netanyahu), did the same. As of Wednesday morning, the Israeli military said that Gazan militants had fired over 1000 rockets at Israel in the previous 38 hours. In response, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) launched a major aerial offensive in Gaza. The strikes have killed at least 56 Palestinians—including 14 children—and injured more than 300 others. In Israel, local authorities claim that at least six people have been killed.
Blinken also spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday and expressed his condolences about the lives lost due to the ongoing violence. The secretary “emphasised the need to de-escalate tensions” and stressed that both Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal measures of freedom, dignity, security and prosperity.”
The unfolding crisis has prompted grave international concern about the region potentially facing levels of violence not seen since the 2014 Israel-Gaza war. “Stop the fire immediately. We’re escalating towards a full-scale war,” Tor Wennesland, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process said on Twitter. Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau also released a statement on Wednesday expressing concern over the situation and urging parties to “take immediate steps to end the violence, de-escalate tensions, protect civilians, and uphold international law.” While supporting Israel’s right to live in peace and ensure its own security, Garneau condemned the violence in Jerusalem and the expansion of settlements and evictions in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, arguing that these actions “further jeopardise the prospects for a two-state solution.” Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an urgent meeting of the Middle East Quartet—which includes Russia, the US, the UN and the EU—to resolve the conflict.
Top US and Israeli Leaders Discuss Israel-Palestine Crisis
The region has seen intense exchanges of rocket fire, airstrikes and violence in recent weeks with no end in sight, and the leaders called on all parties to exercise restraint and end the fighting.
May 13, 2021
SOURCE: MICHEL EULER/AP