Monitoring Desk
TEL AVIV: Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, landed in Tel Aviv Monday ahead of talks urging a de-escalation in violence flaring in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
US top diplomat arrived in Israel on the second leg of his Middle East (ME) tour, following meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the foreign minister in Cairo, Arab media reported.
Israel came under attack on Friday that killed 7 civilians outside a synagogue in East Jerusalem, a day after the army raid claimed ten Palestinian lives in the occupied West Bank.
Blinken, while talking to the Saudi TV channel Al Arabiya, deplored and condemned attacks in the last couple of days.
US envoy urges for de-escalation
While in a press conference in Cairo, the US envoy urged all sides to de-escalate tensions and calm down things. He also stressed the importance of working for a two-state solution.
In the latest violence, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian driver in the West Bank on Monday, authorities on both sides said. While the army said that the car had hit a soldier’s leg before speeding off.
Since the beginning of the year, the conflict has killed 35 Palestinian children and adults, including militants, attackers, and civilians.
Blinken was due to meet Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu. He will also travel to Ramallah for talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
