U.S. Concerned About Ongoing Confrontations in Jerusalem

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is “extremely concerned” about ongoing confrontations in Jerusalem including on the Temple Mount and in Sheikh Jarrah, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

“There is no excuse for violence, but such bloodshed is especially disturbing now, coming as it does on the last days of Ramadan,” he said. “This includes Friday’s attack on Israeli soldiers and reciprocal ‘price tag’ attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, which we condemn in no uncertain terms.”

The U.S. is also “deeply concerned” about the potential eviction of the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods of Jerusalem, Price said.

He called on Israeli officials to move to deescalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence. The State Department is in touch with senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work on deescalating the situation. It is also urging the authorities to approach the residents of Sheikh Jarrah with compassion and respect, taking into account the complexity of these historical cases.

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