Israel on Monday rebuffed "concerns" expressed by the United States over violent clashes in Jerusalem sparked by planned evictions of Palestinians from East Jerusalem.
The White House said that U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to his Israeli counterpart and expressed "serious concerns" over the situation in Jerusalem.
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U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan meets with National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat in Washington
(Photo: Israel Embassy in the U.S.)
Sullivan in a phone call with National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat "encouraged the Israeli government to pursue appropriate measures to ensure calm during Jerusalem Day commemorations."
Ben-Shabbat for his part issued a statement on Monday, saying that international intervention in the matter "rewards the rioters" and those who send them in the hope of pressuring Israel into compliance.
"Israel manages the events in Jerusalem from a sovereign position, with responsibility and discretion - despite the provocations." Ben Shabbat .
New confrontations broke out between Palestinians and Israeli police in parts of East Jerusalem on Sunday, including in Sheikh Jarrah and outside the walled Old City, as well as in Haifa, a mixed Arab-Jewish city in northern Israel at the height of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The clashes have been sparked by the planned evictions of several Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem and the temporary shuttering of the Damascus Gate in the Old City.
"Mr. Sullivan also reiterated the United States' serious concerns about the potential evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood," the White House statement said.
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A Palestinian runs away from tear gas during clashes with Israeli security forces in front of the Dome of the Rock Mosque at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday
(Photo: AP)
Sullivan and Ben-Shabbat "agreed that the launching of rocket attacks and incendiary balloons from Gaza towards Israel is unacceptable and must be condemned," the White House added.
It said Sullivan also expressed the Biden administration's commitment to Israel's security and to supporting peace and stability throughout the Middle East and would remain fully engaged in the days ahead to promote calm in Jerusalem.