TEL AVIV: Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, on a visit to Israel, expressed concerns on Thursday (Mar 9) about Jewish settler violence against Palestinians and warned against acts that could trigger more insecurity.
The US defence secretary held talks in Israel as flaring violence killed three suspected Palestinian militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and protesters rallied against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government.
Late on Thursday, a gunman shot and wounded three people on a Tel Aviv street in what police said could be a “terrorist attack”.
Austin said, in a joint news conference with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Galant, that the US commitment to Israel’s security was “iron-clad”.
But the US remained “firmly opposed to any acts that could trigger more insecurity, including settlement expansion and inflammatory rhetoric”, he said, adding: “We are especially disturbed by violence by settlers against Palestinians.”
Thousands of Israelis opposed to the Netanyahu government’s legal reform plans had blocked roads in and around Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, forcing a last-minute change of venue for Austin’s talks.
And just hours before Austin’s arrival in Israel, undercover agents of Israel’s border police shot dead three suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank.
The Palestinian health ministry announced the “martyrdom” of three men shot by Israeli forces in Jaba, near the northern city of Jenin.
“We had a very frank and candid discussion among friends about the need to de-escalate, to lower tensions and restore calm especially before the holidays of Passover and Ramadan,” Austin said.
He also called on the “Palestinian leadership to combat terrorism and to resume security cooperation and to condemn incitement”.
IRAN CONCERNS
In their meetings with Austin, Netanyahu and his defence minister raised Israeli concerns that its arch-foe Iran is developing nuclear weapons, something the Islamic republic has always denied.
“It is our duty to take all measures necessary to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons,” Galant told reporters.
Austin said “diplomacy is the best way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon”, while adding the US would not allow that to happen.
Their talks came ahead of Netanyahu’s departure for Rome, which protesters had sought to obstruct using their vehicles to block access roads.
Nine straight weeks of protests have been held by opponents of the reform plans, which would give politicians greater power over the courts. They have drawn tens of thousands of demonstrators who regard the proposals as a threat to democracy.
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