US expresses serious concern over Israel-Palestine tensions
ANI
12 May 2021, 11:18 GMT+10
Washington [US], May 12 (ANI): The US White House on Tuesday (local time) expressed serious concern over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, calling for de-escalation of tensions between both countries by establishing a two-state solution.
Speaking at her daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: The President has been briefed daily on developments in Jerusalem and Gaza. He just received another update before I came out here from the National Security Advisor. Since last week, he has directed his team to engage intensively with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, as well as leaders throughout the Middle East. His team is communicating a clear and consistent message in support of de-escalation, and that is our primary focus, she added.
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel s US correspondent based in New York
US State Department spokesman Ned Price takes questions from reporters at the State Department in Washington on March 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, Pool)
The Biden administration on Tuesday said Israel had a right to respond to rocket attacks from Gaza, while adding that Palestinians also have a right to security.
During a daily press conference at the US State Department, spokesman Ned Price reiterated Washington’s grave concern with the ongoing escalation of violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip and called on Israelis and Palestinians to exercise restraint in order to bring a return to calm.
Two women, including an Indian were killed and dozens were injured after the Hamas Islamist movement in Gaza fired massive barrages of rockets at southern Israel on Tuesday, which prompted retaliatory airstrikes from Israeli forces. Among the deceased was a 32-year-old Indian caregiver, Soumya Santosh. Soumya was killed while her elderly charge, 80, was hospitalised in serious condition after one of the rockets struck her home, The Times of Israel reported citing local media. Santosh is survived by her husband and nine-year-old daughter. The deaths marked the first fatalities in Israel in the round of fighting with Gaza terrorist groups that began Monday evening, which has seen hundreds of rockets fired at Israeli territory and retaliatory airstrikes from Jerusalem.
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US Refuses to Condemn Israeli Airstrikes That Killed Palestinian Children At least 35 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, including 12 children
Unsurprisingly, Biden administration officials have failed to condemn Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that killed Palestinian children. As of Wednesday morning in Gaza, at least 35 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the latest violence, including 12 children.
State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked on Tuesday if he would condemn the killing of Palestinian children after viewing pictures of the aftermath of the Israeli airstrikes. “The loss of innocent life is something that we would that is deeply regrettable. It is of course, Israel has the right to defend itself against those attacking Israel, against Hamas and terrorists responsible,” Price said.
The latest cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians will be hard to stop
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By Roland Oliphant
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Moscow: There comes a point in every conflict where violence takes on a logic of its own - the critical juncture where if rising tensions are not defused, they can lead only to all-out war.
With two Israeli women and 31 Palestinians including nine children killed by Hamas rocket fire on Israeli towns and Israeli air strikes in Gaza - and ill-tempered protests continuing in Jerusalem - the conflict in Israel and Palestine is rapidly reaching that point.