In its first response to recent clashes in Jerusalem, the U.S. administration of President Barack Obama on Tuesday called on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to take steps to calm the tensions in the capital.
Israeli police mobilized reinforcements from across the country to secure the volatile Jerusalem on Tuesday, deploying thousands of officers on city streets for fear that two days of low-grade clashes with Palestinian protesters would escalate.
There have been repeated clashes between police and Palestinian protesters at Jerusalem's Temple Mount compound, which houses both the Al-Aqsa mosque and Judaism's holiest site, the Western Wall.
A senior State Department official in Washington told Haaretz on Tuesday that the U.S. has "closely monitored developments around the al-Aqsa mosque in recent weeks, and continue to do so."
"We urge all parties to refrain from actions that could inflame tensions or lead to violence," the official went on to say. "Our continued priority is re-launching negotiations in an atmosphere conducive to their success."
Obama's envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, was set to arrive in Israel Wednesday evening as part of ongoing U.S. efforts to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Mitchell was expected to emphasize to both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the importance of calming the tensions.
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