Monitoring Desk
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday warned of the situation between Palestinians and Israelis slipping into a further dangerous escalation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The statement said that the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom condemned the targeting of civilians, stressing the need to stop the escalation put an end to the occupation, and work on reviving the peace process.
Seven people died on Friday in a gun attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem, and two others were wounded in an attack in the city on Saturday morning.
The shootings occurred after nine Palestinians were killed in an Israeli army operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
Also on Saturday, Russia’s foreign ministry called for “maximum restraint” following violence in Israel and the West Bank, which marked another escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Saudi Arabia expresses concern over recent developments
“We perceive these developments with deep concern. We call on all concerned parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further escalation of tension,” the foreign ministry said.
“Recent events clearly confirm the need to relaunch a constructive Palestinian-Israeli dialogue and renounce unilateral actions urgently,” the ministry added.
The European Union denounced this week’s attacks in Jerusalem and urged Israel only to use lethal force as a last resort.
“The European Union fully recognizes Israel’s legitimate security concerns, as proved by the latest terrorist attacks. However, it stressed that lethal force must only be used as a last resort when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life,” said the bloc’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday said he was “deeply shocked” by the “terrible” attacks in east Jerusalem.
“There have been deaths and people injured in the heart of Israel,” the German Chancellor said.
