WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2021) The US is calling for calm amid escalating tensions in East Jerusalem that have resulted in the injury of over 300 Palestinians, National Security Council (NSC) Spokesperson Emily Horne said.
"National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by phone today with Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat to express the United States' serious concerns about the situation in Jerusalem, including violent confrontations at the Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount during the last days of Ramadan," Horne said in a statement released by the White House on Sunday.
Sullivan called on the Israeli government to take steps to ensure calm in East Jerusalem and to de-escalate tensions.
"Mr. Sullivan also reiterated the United States' serious concerns about the potential evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. They agreed that the launching of rocket attacks and incendiary balloons from Gaza towards Israel is unacceptable and must be condemned," Horne said.
A total of 14 Palestinians were injured during Sunday night unrest in the Bab al-Amud and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhoods in Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
On Saturday, the Red Crescent reported 80 injuries among Palestinians and said that a total of around 300 Palestinians had been injured over the past days of unrest in East Jerusalem.
The unrest in East Jerusalem has been ongoing for several days over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area.
The Arab League plans to hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday, May 10, to discuss the escalation of violence in East Jerusalem.
The UN Security Council (UNSC) will also hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the conflict, according to a Sputnik source.
