US secretary of state Blinken urges Israel-Palestinian calm as violence soars

US secretary of state Antony Blinken speaks to the media in Jerusalem (Debbie Hill/Pool Photo via AP)

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has urged Israel and the Palestinians to ease tensions following a spike in violence that has put the region on edge.

The bloodshed has alarmed the Biden administration as it attempts to find common ground with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing government.