The State Department on Friday encouraged Israel to impose only temporary restrictions on the ability of Palestinians entering the country, and warned that a long-term restriction could further inflame tensions in the region.
Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. clearly understands why Israel rescinded the entry permits of about 83,000 people, after a Wednesday terrorist attack in Tel Aviv killed four people. Two suspected in the attack are Palestinians who dressed as Orthodox Jews.
As a result, Israel rescinded entry documents that many Palestinians were expected to use to access Jerusalem for the Ramadan holiday.
While Toner acknowledged Israel’s step as a security measure, he also warned that the measure could lead to more tensions.
“Any time you take sweeping actions like this, there are the possibility that these actions will only inflame tensions, and escalate tensions,” he said.
“All we are saying is that, we want to see any actions to be temporary in nature, and to not impact the lives of normal Palestinian citizens,” he added.
Toner spoke soon after the United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that Israel’s measure is effectively a “collective punishment” that will only make things worse.
“Israel has a human rights obligation to bring those responsible to account for their crimes,” the UN office said. “However the measures taken against the broader population punish not the perpetrators of the crime, but tens — maybe hundreds — of thousands of innocent Palestinians.”
When asked if the U.S. government agrees with that assessment, Toner said the U.S. was not ready to be that specific.
“All we are saying is that, we want to see any actions to be temporary in nature, and to not impact the lives of normal Palestinian citizens,” he said. “I don’t want to put a moniker on it, or attempt to characterize it, because it’s not a black and white issue in that sense,” he added when asked if the U.S. sees Israel’s move as a “collective punishment.”
