Quartet envoy Tony Blair on Tuesday expressed his concern over the events in the region in recent weeks, and called for Israel to show restraint when dealing with the civilian Palestinian population.
“I am deeply troubled by the ongoing events in Israel and the Palestinian territories, including the deaths of Palestinian civilians, and the wide-scale arrests," said Blair in a statement. "Israel must act with restraint when operating in populated Palestinian areas – including Gaza – and ensure that civilians are not harmed. Steps must also be taken to limit restrictions on movement and access in the West Bank."
He also praised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for comments last week in which he criticized the kidnappers of three Israeli teens whoi disappeared 12 days ago in the West Bank, and called for the immediate their return.
“As I stressed last week in my meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the international community utterly condemns the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers and calls for their immediate and unconditional release. I welcome President Abbas’s condemnation of this heinous act." (Ynetnews)