Blinken urges Israel, Palestinians to ‘end the cycle of violence’

WASHINGTON, 20 April 2022, (TON): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to end the cycle of violence after a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides in recent days.

The State Department said “in separate calls with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Blinken stressed the importance of Israelis and Palestinians working to end the cycle of violence in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza by exercising restraint and refraining from actions that escalate tensions.”

Lapid said “he updated the top US diplomat on Tuesday about Israel’s efforts to ensure freedom of worship in Jerusalem, after clashes with Israeli riot police inside the Al Aqsa mosque compound in which at least 152 Palestinians were wounded.”

Lapid blamed “hundreds of Islamic extremists” for rioting and spreading disinformation that inflame tensions.

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