World leaders have called for calm amid rising violence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
On Thursday, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp during a raid.
On the same day, a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces in the town of al-Ram, north of Jerusalem, marking one of the deadliest days in the occupied West Bank.
On Friday, a Palestinian attacker shot dead seven people near a synagogue in occupied East Jerusalem before being fatally shot.
On Saturday, a Palestinian shot and wounded two Israelis in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan, near Jerusalem’s historic Old City.
Here is how senior figures around the world have reacted to the escalation in violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories:
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
The “terrorist attack” outside the Jerusalem synagogue that killed seven people was “particularly abhorrent” as it occurred at a place of worship on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, according to Guterres’s spokesman.
The UN human rights office urged an end to the “endless cycle of violence” in the occupied West Bank, adding that it was “very concerned” by the rise in Palestinian fatalities following one of the deadliest Israeli army raids in years.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
Abbas announced three days of mourning for the souls of those killed in the Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp. When he declared a three-day period of mourning, he also said flags would be lowered “for the souls of the martyrs of the massacre committed by the Israeli occupation”.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell
The head of the EU’s foreign affairs and security policy strongly condemned “acts of insane violence and hate” after the “appalling terror attack” outside the synagogue.
He also reacted to the raid of the Jenin refugee camp, saying while EU recognised Israel’s “legitimate security concerns”, he stressed that “lethal force must only be used as a last resort when it is strictly unavoidable in order to protect life”.
Borrell said Israeli forces had killed 30 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the year, calling on all parties to “reverse this spiral of violence and engage in meaningful efforts to restart peace negotiations”.
US President Joe Biden
Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the shooting attack in Jerusalem that claimed seven Israeli lives. He said the incident “was an attack against the civilized world”, according to the White House in a readout of their telephone call.
The US president stressed the “ironclad” US commitment to Israel’s security, and agreed that his team would remain in constant touch with their Israeli counterparts.
Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen
“A very difficult Shabbat for all Israelis. I send my condolences to the families of those murdered in the dreadful attack on the synagogue and pray together with all Israelis for the recovery of the injured,” Cohen wrote on Twitter.
“We will act firmly to restore security to the citizens of Israel.”
A very difficult Shabbat for all Israelis. I send my condolences to the families of those murdered in the dreadful attack on the synagogue and pray together with all Israelis for the recovery of the injured. We will act firmly to restore security to the citizens of Israel.
— Eli Cohen Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) January 27, 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron
Macron condemned the “hateful” synagogue attack on Twitter.
“The spiral of violence must be avoided at all costs,” he added, saying his thoughts were with the victims, their relatives and the Israeli people.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy shared on Twitter that his country shared Israel’s pain after the Jerusalem attacks and that a Ukrainian woman was among the victims of the synagogue shooting.
We share 🇮🇱 pain after the terrorist attacks in Jerusalem. Among the victims is a 🇺🇦 woman. Sincere condolences to the victims’ families. The crimes were cynically committed on the Intl Holocaust Remembrance Day. Terror must have no place in today’s world. Neither in 🇮🇱 nor in 🇺🇦
— Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) January 28, 2023
Russia
The Russian foreign ministry called on all parties to show “maximum restraint” and said it observed the latest events “with deep concern”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Scholz said the “terrible” Jerusalem attacks “deeply shocked” him.
The German foreign ministry condemned Friday’s “abominable” shooting near the synagogue and emphasised that “dialogue and cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian authorities are more necessary than ever in order to eliminate terror”.
