Obama calls for restraint

US President Barack Obama calls for Israelis and Palestinians alike to restrain themselves and put an end to acts of retribution, in some of his first public comments on the matter since the murder of three Israeli teenagers touched off a new round of violence and deepening mistrust.

In an op-ed in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Obama calls it a “dangerous moment” for the region where a vaunted US peace effort recently collapsed. Writing in emotional terms, he says he couldn’t imagine the pain suffered by the parents of the three Israeli teens, but was also heartbroken by the senseless murder of a Palestinian teenager who many suspect was killed as payback.

“All parties must protect the innocent and act with reasonableness and restraint, not vengeance and retribution,” Obama says.

— AP