THE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
Statements made by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Spokesperson
Paris – July 23, 2017
Situation in Jerusalem
France deplores the recent violence in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories which have left 10 people dead in attacks and clashes. It expresses its deep concern and its determination to help—together with its partners—ease tensions.
It is in this spirit that Jean-Yves Le Drian met on July 23 with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi. The consultations will notably continue this evening at the UN Security Council during an emergency meeting.
France reaffirms the need to refrain from any act or statement that could aggravate the conflict and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and to take concrete steps toward restoring calm.
It reaffirms that calling the status quo into question in any way poses a serious risk of destabilizing the situation and would like an agreed solution to be found that would ensure security without affecting free access to the holy sites.
Do you think that the status quo at the Esplanade of the Mosques is under threat? What are you expecting from the Security Council meeting this evening?
Please refer to the statement I made today on this issue.
Document Sources: State
Country: France
Subject: Access and movement, Closure of institutions, Closures/Curfews/Blockades, Holy places, Incidents, Jerusalem, Security issues
Publication Date: 24/07/2017
URL source: https://franceintheus.org/IMG/html/briefing/2017/DDB-2017-07-24.html#02