U.N. chief urges calm amid Palestinian-Israeli violence
JERUSALEM — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for calm during a surprise visit to Jerusalem on Tuesday ahead of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, in a high-profile gambit to bring an end to a monthlong wave of violence.
A spate of almost daily Palestinian attacks against civilians and soldiers, most of which have involved stabbings, has caused panic across Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of major bloodshed.
“I deplore the random attacks against civilians, such terror attacks make every place unsafe and every person regardless to gender or age a potential victim,” he said.
In that time, 46 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire, including 25 identified by Israel as attackers, and the rest in clashes with Israeli troops.
The initial outbreak of Palestinian attacks was fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site.