BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) has expressed deep concern over the recent wave of violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Israel and Lebanon.
In a statement, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the recent acts of violence in the region and said that it must be stopped.
EU condemns wave of violence in Middle East
Similarly, the alliance High Representative Borrell said that EU calls for an immediate end to the current violence, adding every step must be taken to stop the conflict from spreading in the area.
“This increase in violence follows days of clashes at the holy places, including the use of force by Israeli police personnel inside the Al Aqsa mosque,” he noted.
The European Union denounced “the violent incidents which occurred in the holy places and reminds that the status quo of all the holy sites should be preserved.”
“We ask all parties to exercise maximum limitation, to avoid escalation and promote harmony for the current religious holidays,” he maintained.
Israeli police officials said it had detained over 350 Palestinians from the Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem, with eye witnesses saying they used extreme force, including tear gas.
Israel forces occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict and later occupied the entire city in 1980 – an act never recognized by the world.
