Macron calls for ending escalation between Israel, Palestine

RAMALLAH -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for an end to the violent escalation between the Israelis and the Palestinians and urged the two sides to move toward a peaceful resolution.

Macron made the remarks in a phone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss ending the growing tension in the Palestinian territories, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Macron called on both sides to avoid tensions and move to initiatives that would lead to a political horizon to facilitate peace and stability in the region. He also 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.

Tension between the Israelis and the Palestinians has been flaring over the past weeks as a series of Palestinian attacks set off almost daily raids by Israel to arrest suspects in the West Bank. The tension was further fueled by clashes at the holy Al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

The Palestinians have been seeking 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.