Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, on February 22, 2023. (Photo by Zain Jaafar / AFP)
Washington: The United States on Wednesday expressed deep concerns over the eruption of fresh violence in the West Bank that left 10 Palestinians dead after a raid by Israeli troops.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said that the Israel Defense Forces "counterterrorism" operation had killed and injured both militants and bystanders, and left more than 100 injured.
"The United States is extremely concerned by the levels of violence in Israel and the West Bank today," Price told reporters. "We are deeply concerned by the large number of injuries and the loss of civilian lives," he said.
Price said US officials were in direct contact with both sides, as well as with other countries in the region, and were encouraging the Israelis and Palestinians to ease tensions.
"Ultimately, our message -- and the message that both parties are hearing from countries in the region -- is that it is incumbent on them to not only avoid steps that only exacerbate tensions or inflame tensions, but to actually take steps to deescalate tensions," he said.
Price called the controversial expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories "an obstacle to peace that undermines the geographic viability of a two-state solution."
He called demolitions of Palestinian homes and settlement expansions unilateral steps "that would only serve to exacerbate tensions."
