(I24) The United States called on Israel to strive for de-escalation in East Jerusalem, advising against carrying out a threatened eviction of several Palestinian families at the center of a land dispute that has sent tensions soaring.
“We’re deeply concerned about the heightened tensions in Jerusalem,” said deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter.
She said it was “critical” to “deescalate tensions” and avoid any unilateral steps that could aggravate the situation, including “evictions, settlement activity and house demolitions.”
Porter said the State Department was concerned in particular with the “potential eviction of Palestinian families in Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah,” two East Jerusalem neighborhood where tensions have been running high.
Some of Palestinian families targeted for eviction have “lived in their home for generations,” the official noted.
The comments came as numerous Palestinians and Israeli police officers were hurt in clashes at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount compound.
