Blinken says US is intensifying diplomacy to achieve 'end to violence'
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that Washington is intensifying diplomatic efforts to end the violence across Israel and the Palestinian territories, reasserting America's support for what he called "Israel's right to defend itself".
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Australian counterpart, Blinken said he has held phone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"This is part of a comprehensive ongoing outreach and dialogue at all levels of the US government to our respective counterparts, with the objective of achieving an end to the violence," Blinken said.
The top US diplomat said Washington is also engaged with regional partners to end the crisis.
"We believe that Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of freedom, security, dignity and prosperity; that recognition will continue to drive our approach," Blinken said.
But Palestinian rights activists say the US approach is far from a reflection of that pronouncement, amid failure to condemn Israeli air strikes that have claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives in Gaza.
Moreover, Washington has only expressed "concern" at Israel's efforts to displace Palestinians from the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, which sparked the current crisis.
Earlier on Thursday, President Joe Biden appeared to endorse the Israeli violence, saying that air raids on Gaza are not a "significant over-reaction" by Israel.
"I have my intelligence community, the Defence Department, as well as the State Department… in contact with all of their counterparts, not only in Israel, but in the region, and one of the things I have seen thus far is there has not been a significant over-reaction," Biden said.