Israeli police entered the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, where they clashed with Palestinian protesters after early morning prayers in Jerusalem's Old City, April 22, 2022. MAHMOUD ILLEAN AP RAMALLAH French President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to the violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians and urged the two sides to move toward a peaceful resolution.
The Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting each other over the past few weeks as a series of Palestinian attacks set off almost daily raids by Israel to arrest suspects in the West Bank. It was further fueled by clashes at the holy Al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem.
According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Macron made a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss ending the growing tension in the Palestinian territories.
Macron called for both sides to be able to avoid tensions and to move to initiatives that would lead to a political horizon to promote peace and stability in the region. He invited Abbas to visit Paris.
Abbas said that the current situation in the Palestinian territories cannot be tolerated, criticizing Israel for not following its commitments to the signed peace agreements.
In the past few weeks, a series of Palestinian attacks have set off almost daily raids by Israel to arrest suspects in the West Bank, which has been a source of tension between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The tension was further fueled by clashes at the holy Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem.
READ MORE: Palestine calls for global initiative to fill the political vacuum.
The Palestinians want to establish an independent state on the Palestinian territories seized by Israel in the June 1967 Middle East War, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.