Antony Blinken in Jerusalem: Urgent steps needed for calm - BBC

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for Israel and the Palestinians to instrumentality "urgent steps" to reconstruct calm amid escalating violence.

Speaking successful Jerusalem, Mr Blinken reiterated US enactment for a two-state solution arsenic "the champion way" to bring information to the 2 sides.

Israel's caller authorities opposes the instauration of a Palestinian state.

The sojourn comes aft 2 weapon attacks by Palestinians successful East Jerusalem astatine the play killed 7 Israelis.

At a quality league pursuing talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu connected Monday, Mr Blinken expressed his condolences for what helium called the "horrific violent attack".

The onslaught by a 21-year-old Palestinian targeted worshippers near a synagogue connected Friday night. Hours aboriginal a 13-year-old Palestinian opened occurrence connected a radical of Israelis, wounding a begetter and son.

Two Palestinians were besides changeable dormant successful abstracted incidents successful the occupied West Bank up of Mr Blinken's arrival.

An 18-year-old equipped with a weapon was killed by an Israeli information defender adjacent the bluish West Bank colony of Kedumim connected Saturday night. On Monday greeting troops opened occurrence connected a conveyance which they said drove distant aft hitting a soldier, sidesplitting the 26-year-old driver, successful Hebron.

Mr Blinken said the US had "an enduring extremity of Palestinians and Israelis enjoying adjacent measures of freedom, security, opportunity, justness and dignity", which helium said could champion beryllium achieved by "realising the imaginativeness of 2 states" - an autarkic Palestinian authorities alongside Israel.

Failure to bash so, helium said, would beryllium "detrimental to Israel's information and to its semipermanent individuality arsenic a Jewish antiauthoritarian state".

"That's wherefore we're urging each sides present to instrumentality urgent steps to reconstruct calm, to de-escalate - we privation to marque definite there's an situation successful which we can... astatine immoderate constituent make the conditions wherever we tin commencement to reconstruct a consciousness of information for Israelis and Palestinians alike."

Mr Netanyahu did not respond to Mr Blinken's declaration of enactment for a two-state solution. His recently formed authorities comprises parties which resolutely reason the conception of a Palestinian authorities and enactment the enlargement of Jewish settlements connected onshore the Palestinians assertion for a hoped for authorities of their own.

Israeli settlements successful the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered amerciable nether planetary law, though Israel disputes this.

The Israeli premier curate has vowed to instrumentality pugnacious measures successful effect to the attacks astatine the weekend. Israeli forces person been bolstered successful the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the homes of some attackers person been sealed disconnected successful mentation for demolition.

The authorities has besides pledged to grow and accelerate the issuing of weapon licences to Israeli citizens, arsenic good arsenic to instrumentality measures against "the families of terrorists that enactment terrorism" including removing members' residency and societal information rights.