Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced widespread condemnation from world leaders on Saturday regarding the escalating violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories. This surge in violence follows a series of deadly incidents, including an Israeli raid in the Jenin refugee camp on Thursday that resulted in the deaths of nine Palestinians. The situation worsened with a shooting outside a Jerusalem synagogue on Friday, which claimed seven lives, and a gun attack by a 13-year-old Palestinian boy on Saturday that left two people wounded.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the synagogue shooting as a “particularly abhorrent” terrorist attack, especially since it occurred at a place of worship on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The UN human rights office expressed deep concern over the rising number of Palestinian fatalities, highlighting the need to end the “endless cycle of violence” in the occupied West Bank, particularly following one of the deadliest Israeli army raids in years.
In the United States, President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu to emphasize that the synagogue shooting represented an attack on the civilized world. The White House reiterated this sentiment in a readout of their conversation. US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel condemned the “absolutely horrific” attack and reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned the “acts of insane violence and hate” following the synagogue attack. He acknowledged Israel’s “legitimate security concerns” in response to the Jenin raid but stressed that lethal force should only be used as a last resort to protect life. Borrell noted that Israeli forces had killed 30 Palestinians in the West
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