The S&D Group in the European Parliament held an urgent exchange following the terrorist bombing in Israel and issued the following statement today (Wednesday 19 November 2014).
Socialists and Democrats strongly condemn the attack at the Har Nof synagogue which killed five people and seriously wounded seven others on 18 November 2014 and the recurrent violent clashes at the Haram-al-Sharif/Temple Mount area.
S&D vice president Victor Boştinaru and S&D Group's foreign affairs coordinator Richard Howitt said:
"We strongly condemn the attack in the Har Nof synagogue in Jerusalem and we would like to extend our condolences to the families of the victims.
"We are extremely worried about the mounting tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. We would like to join the call of the EU High Representative calling on all parties to refrain from any action that can worsen the situation. Retaliation will only create more violence and fuel extremism.
"We insist that the resumption of credible and serious peace talks is essential in order to prevent another round of violence.
"We call for the de-escalation of the situation and we would like to stress again that non-violent means are the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
