WASHINGTON – US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by telephone on Sunday with Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat “to express serious US concerns about the situation in Jerusalem, including the clashes violence at Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount during the last days of Ramadan, “the White House said in a statement. According to a reading of the appeal,” Sullivan highlighted recent engagements of senior US officials with senior officials Israelis and Palestinians and key regional stakeholders to lobby for calm, defuse tensions and denounce violence. Sullivan also “reiterated the serious concerns of the United States over the potential evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood,” the statement said. The two agreed that “the launching of rocket attacks and incendiary balloons from Gaza into Israel is unacceptable and must be condemned.” “Sullivan urged the Israeli government to take appropriate measures to ensure calm during the Jerusalem Day commemorations,” the statement said. “Expressed the administration’s commitment to Israel’s security and to supporting peace and stability throughout the Middle East, and assured Mr. Ben-Shabbat that the United States will remain fully engaged in the days coming to promote calm in Jerusalem, ”the White House said. State Department spokesman Ned Price issued a statement on Friday saying the United States is extremely concerned about the ongoing clashes in Jerusalem.

“There is no excuse for the violence, but such bloodshed is particularly worrying now, as it does in the last days of Ramadan,” Price added. “This includes Friday’s attack on Israeli soldiers and the reciprocal attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, which we unequivocally condemn.” “We call on Israeli and Palestinian officials to act decisively to defuse tensions and end the violence,” Price added in his statement.