US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Friday for talks to urge de-escalation in the deadly violence that flared in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Washington’s top diplomat arrived in Israel on the second leg of his Middle East tour, after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his foreign minister in Cairo.
Israel is reeling from an attack on Friday that killed seven civilians outside a synagogue in occupied east Jerusalem, days after the deadliest army raid of the year in the occupied West Bank claimed 10 Palestinian lives.
On arrival at Tel Aviv airport, Blinken condemned those who celebrated the violence in Jerusalem and “other acts of terrorism that cost the lives of innocent people”.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to take steps to reduce tensions rather than inflame them,” he said.
“This is the only way to stop the wave of violence that has cost so many lives – so many Israelis, so many Palestinians.”
In the latest bloodshed, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian driver in the West Bank, officials on both sides said, with the army saying the car had hit the soldier’s leg before speeding off.
Since the beginning of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 35 Palestinian adults and children – including attackers, militants and civilians.
At the same time, six Israeli civilians, including a child, and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed. All were shot dead in an attack outside a synagogue in an east Jerusalem settlement.
– ‘A dangerous development’ –
The United States has historically led Middle East diplomacy, and Egypt, which has ties to Israel, has long been a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Blinken is due to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a veteran leader who returned to power late last year in the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.
The US envoy will also travel to Ramallah in the West Bank for talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
Abbas met with CIA chief William Burns in Ramallah late Sunday to discuss “dangerous developments”, Palestinian news agency Wafa said. The US embassy declined to comment to AFP.
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Blinken had been planning the visit for a long time, but the trip required new necessities amid the violence.
The fatal east Jerusalem shooting was preceded by the deadliest Israeli military operation in the West Bank in years.
Ten people were killed in the densely populated Jenin refugee camp, in an attack Israel said targeted Islamic Jihad operatives.
The military then attacked sites in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian territories.
Netanyahu’s cabinet has vowed a tough response and moved to punish “terrorist families who support terrorism” with house demolitions and other measures.
The government also plans to revoke the right to social security benefits from relatives of attackers, and measures to make it easier for Israelis to obtain permits to carry firearms.
Shining in Egypt
The latest bloodshed has heightened international concern, with Pope Francis on Sunday lamenting the “death spiral”.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged all parties not to give way to a “spiral of violence” and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for “maximum responsibility” on all sides.
Blinken on Monday met with Sisi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
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Blinken praised Sisi for “Egypt’s important role in promoting stability in the region” and “active negotiation efforts to deescalate tensions between Israel and Palestine,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Egypt’s diplomats and intelligence services – a major recipient of American military aid – are often called upon to intercede between Israel and the Palestinians.
Blinken’s visit to Israel is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to quickly engage with Netanyahu, who had a strained relationship with former Democratic president Barack Obama.
While there, Blinken is expected to reiterate U.S. support for a Palestinian state, with some prospects advancing in the new Israeli government.
The State Department said Blinken would call for maintaining the status quo at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem.
Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, sparked global condemnation earlier this month when he visited a site run by Jordan.
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The compound is the holiest site for Jews, who call it the Temple Mount, and the third holiest site in Islam.