France expresses worries over "dangerous" violence escalation in Jerusalem

Xinhua

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France expressed concerns over a new wave of violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem, urging swift moves to appease tension and resume diplomatic talks to end the year-long deadlock in the Middle East, the office of French President Francois Hollande said on Sunday.

according to the Elysee, "the escalation of violence in the Palestinian territories and Jerusalem is extremely worrying and dangerous."

"Everything must be done to calm the situation. This new deterioration of the situation also confirms the urgent need to rebuild political prospects," it added in a statement.

Confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces erupted last month after Israeli police raided Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, holy to both Muslims and Jews, to prevent Palestinian youths from attacking far-right Jews who visited the holy compound on the occasion of the Jewish New Year.

Earlier on Sunday, a Palestinian mother and her daughter were killed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza.

In the past week, four Israelis died in stabbing attacks, and more than 10 Palestinians were killed, according to reports.

Sponsored by the United States, the last round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) took place between July 2013 and April 2014. The talks collapsed in part because the Palestinians announced the establishment of a unity government with Hamas, one of Israel's sworn-enemies. Enditem