“As I told the prime minister, anything that takes us away from that vision is, in our view, detrimental to Israel’s long-term security and long-term identity as a Jewish and democratic state,” Blinken said.
Upon his arrival, in the midst of the bloodiest episodes of violence in recent years, the head of US diplomacy focused his censorship in the Palestinian shooting in a synagogue which put Israel on high alert, but also warned against any retaliation.
For Bilinken, the Friday massacre “was more than just an attack on individuals. It was also an attack on the universal act of practicing one’s faith. We condemn it in the strongest terms.”
“We now urge all parties to take urgent measures to restore calm and [iniciar] a de-escalation,” Blinken said at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We want to make sure that there is an environment in which we can, hopefully at some point, create the conditions to start restoring a feeling of security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” he added.
In the attack on Friday, seven people were killed by the shooting of an East Jerusalem man who ended up being shot dead by the police. Liked by many Palestinians, he had no known links to militant groups.