United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday had a phone conversation with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-nahyan to discuss bilateral and international issues, including the recent escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the US State Department announced on Sunday.
According to the statement, the secretary called for peace during religious holidays, while stressing the need to de-escalate tensions in the region.
The call came amidst a surge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians, with several major incidents reported in the past week, including clashes on the Temple Mount, rocket attacks from Gaza, and retaliatory shelling by Israeli forces.