World leaders on Saturday condemned the escalating violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories and called for calm after several deadly incidents in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
An Israeli attack on a Jenin refugee camp on Thursday killed nine Palestinians.
It was followed by a deadly shooting outside a Jerusalem synagogue on Friday and a gun attack by a 13-year-old Palestinian boy that wounded two in the city on Saturday.
United Nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the “terrorist attack” outside a Jerusalem synagogue that killed seven was “particularly abhorrent” because it happened at a place of worship on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, according to a spokesman.
The UN human rights office on Friday called for an end to the “unending cycle of violence” in the occupied West Bank. He said he was “deeply concerned” by the rise in Palestinian casualties after one of the deadliest Israeli army attacks in years.
President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stress that the synagogue shooting “is an attack on the civilized world”, the White House said in a call.
United States of America
US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel condemned the “absolutely horrific” attack on the synagogue and underlined Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security.
European Union
The bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell strongly condemned the “senseless acts of violence and hatred” after the “horrific terror attack” outside the synagogue.
In response to the Jenin attack, he said the EU recognized Israel’s “legitimate security concerns”, but stressed that “lethal force should only be used as a last resort when absolutely unavoidable to protect life”.
He 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 engage in meaningful efforts to restart peace negotiations”.
Egypt
Egypt – one of the few Arab countries to have diplomatic relations with Israel – said it “strongly condemned” the synagogue attack and “any attack on civilians”.
The foreign ministry urged Palestinians and Israelis to exercise restraint and stop provocations and aggression “so as not to sink into a spiral of violence”.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates, another Arab country that has diplomatic relations with Israel, condemned the “criminal act” and all “violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability that violates human values and principles” after the synagogue shooting.
The foreign ministry said it expressed its condolences and sympathies to Israeli citizens and the victims’ families for the “heinous crime”.
Saudi Arabia
Regional power Saudi Arabia warned against “further dangerous escalation between the Palestinians and Israel”.
Germany
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the Jerusalem attack was “terrible” and “surprised”.
Germany’s foreign ministry condemned Friday’s “disgusting” synagogue attack and stressed that “dialogue and cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is more important than ever to eliminate terror”.
France
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the “hateful” synagogue attack on Twitter.
“The spiral of violence must be avoided at all costs,” he added, saying his thoughts were with the victims, their relatives and the people of Israel.
Russia
Russia’s foreign ministry called on all parties to show “maximum restraint” and said it was treating the latest events “with concern”.
Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country shares Israel’s pain after the Jerusalem attack and a Ukrainian woman who was the victim of a synagogue shooting.
Oman
Oman condemned “all forms of violence and terrorism that target civilians and undermine security and stability”, referring to Palestinian and Israeli casualties.