Jerusalem: deadly attack on worshipers in synagogue

(Vatican Radio) At least four people were killed and six others wounded in an attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem Tuesday morning. Police say the suspects in the attack were a pair of Palestinians wielding knives and axes, and that they shot and killed the suspected assailants inside the synagogue. The city of Jerusalem has seen months of tension in the wake of a dispute over access to holy sites – tension that has flared into violence on more than one occasion, including kidnappings and the stabbing of a Jerusalem man this weekend.

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Briefing the United Nations Security Council on Monday, the UN’s Assistant Secretary General (ad interim) for Political Affairs, Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen decried the upsurge in violence. “The Secretary-General has expressed his deep concern about the upsurge in violence and calls on all sides to do everything possible to avoid further exacerbating an already tense environment,”  Toyberg-Frandzen said.

The Assistant Secretary General also renewed his calls for a fair and genuine peace  agreement, as the only way to build just and lasting tranquility and stability in the region. “Returning to negotiations has never been more important,” he said, adding that the absence of a credible political framework is further hardening positions on both sides and providing greater space to those seeking to exploit the parties’ lack of trust for personal or political gain.

Pope Francis has also called repeatedly for all parties to reject the path of violence and to work together to address outstanding issues in mutual respect for peoples’ legitimate rights and aspirations.