(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, JAN 28 - The European Union, which says it is "shocked" by Friday's attack in Jerusalem, is calling on Israel to use lethal force only when it is "absolutely inevitable" and not to react to provocations".
"The EU - wrote the high representative for foreign policy of the Union Josep Borrell in a note - is shocked by yesterday's terrible terrorist attack in a synagogue in Jerusalem, which killed at least seven people and injured many, and by the attack of this morning in East Jerusalem, which left two people injured, one of them seriously. The EU strongly condemns these acts of insane violence and hatred. These terrible events - he continued - demonstrate once again how urgent it is to reverse the spiral of violence and engage in significant efforts to restart peace negotiations: we call on all parties not to react to provocations".
In a second note, Borrello recalls that "in Jenin, at least 9 Palestinians were killed and more than 20 injured during an operation by the Israeli Defense Forces: this brings the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank to 30 since the beginning of the year. In 2022 - he recalled again - Israeli forces killed more than 150 people in the West Bank, including 30 children, the highest number since the end of the second intifada in 2005. The EU fully recognizes Israel's legitimate security concerns but it should be stressed that lethal force must only be used as a last resort, when it is absolutely unavoidable to protect life," concluded Borrell.
(HANDLE).