US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed violence between Israeli and Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and elsewhere with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, the State Department says.
“The Secretary and Foreign Minister discussed the importance of Israelis and Palestinians working to end the cycle of violence by refraining from actions and rhetoric that further escalate tensions,” the State Department says.
It says the talks took place Monday, but only announces them Tuesday.
Blinken also stressed that the US backs Jordan’s role in overseeing the administration of the Temple Mount.
“Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, and appreciation for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s special role as custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” the readout says.
There is no immediate Jordanian announcement on the talks. On Monday, Safadi slammed Israel over police actions on the Temple Mount, and called for the return of a pre-2000 status quo in which only non-Muslims needed approval from the Jordanian Waqf to visit the holy site, in comments that omitted any Jewish connection to Jerusalem or its holy sites.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
