The European Union calls on Israel to use lethal force only as a "last resort"

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on Israel to use lethal force only as a "last resort", condemning "strongly" two attacks carried out by two Palestinians Friday and Saturday.

Two Israelis were wounded on Saturday morning in a shooting attack in East Jerusalem carried out by a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who was also shot by the police, the day after an attack on a synagogue left seven dead and the perpetrator was killed.

"The European Union is fully aware of Israel's legitimate and justified security concerns by the recent attacks, but it should be emphasized that lethal force should only be used as a last resort, when unavoidable to protect life," Borrell said in a statement.

"The European Union is very concerned about the escalation of tensions in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We call on both parties to do their utmost to de-escalate and re-launch coordination at the security level, which is essential to prevent further violence," he added.

These attacks come in light of the escalation in the confrontations in the Palestinian territories after the bloody raids of the Israeli army in the West Bank, the most violent in nearly twenty years, followed by the firing of rockets by Palestinian factions from the Gaza Strip, to which Israel responded by launching raids on the besieged sector controlled by Hamas.

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