The EU asks “not to fall into provocations” and condemns the attacks on Jerusalem

Jan. 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The EU has condemned the attack on Friday in Jerusalem in which seven people were killed in a synagogue, as well as the subsequent attack carried out by a Palestinian youth near the Old City that injured two people, and summoned Palestinians and Israelis to resume peace negotiations and “not fall for provocations”.

“The European Union is appalled by yesterday’s horrific attack on a Jerusalem synagogue in which at least seven people were killed and many more injured while attending the ‘shabbat’ ceremony and by this morning’s attack in East Jerusalem in in which two victims have been injured, one of them seriously,” Brussels has published in a statement.

The EU “strongly condemns these irrational acts of violence and hatred,” added the bloc in a text published by the Foreign Action Service.

For Brussels, “these terrible events show once again how urgent it is to reverse this spiral of violence and launch weighty initiatives to resume peace negotiations.” “We urge all parties not to fall for provocations,” stressed the department headed by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell.

Already on Friday the ambassador of the European Union in Israel, Dimiter Tzantchev, said he was “appalled” by the attack. “Terror is never the answer. My condolences to the families of the victims,” ​​he pointed out on Twitter.

An attacker later identified as East Jerusalem resident Jaire Alkam shot at worshipers leaving the Shabbat celebration at the Neve Yaakov synagogue, killing seven of them.

After that, the suspect fled to the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina, where he was killed by Israeli Police officers after abandoning the car and opening fire on the officers while trying to flee the scene on foot.

ISRAELI MILITARY ACTION IN JENIN

The EU has referred in a separate statement to the death last Thursday of nine Palestinians in an Israeli military operation in Jenin, the West Bank. “With these there are already 30 Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the beginning of this year. Last year more than 150 people were killed by actions of Israeli forces in the West Bank, including 30 children, the highest number since the end of the Second Intifada , in 2005”, remembers Brussels.

The EU “fully recognizes Israel’s legitimate security concerns as evidenced by the latest terrorist attacks” but reminds it that “deadly force should only be used as a last resort, when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life.”

Thus, Brussels says it is “very concerned” about the tension in Israel and the Palestinian Occupied Territories. “We call on both parties to do everything possible to reduce tension and resume security coordination, vital to prevent further acts of violence,” the EU said.