EAST JERUSALEM: Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid urged for international assistance in retaining peace in East Jerusalem during a phone talk with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the rising Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
According to reports, the two leladers discussed the recent wave of violence between Israel and Palestinians, which has centred on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, where 200 Palestinians have been injured in clashes with Israeli police since Friday.
After speaking with Blinken on the phone, Lapid tweeted, "I emphasised the necessity for international support in restoring calm to Jerusalem." He reaffirmed Israel's position that the raids on the flashpoint holy site were "responsible and calibrated operations in the face of riots by hundreds of Islamic extremists." "Calls in support of violence will not be tolerated in Israel," Lapid added.
Blinken spoke with Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi the day before about the violence in East Jerusalem. According to a statement released by the US State Department, Blinken emphasised the necessity of sustaining the status quo.
The controversial holy site is located in the Old City of Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East conflict. It is known to Muslims as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The property is managed by Jordan's Muslim Waqf, yet it is guarded by Israeli police.
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