FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a joint news conference with his British counterpart at Downing Street following their bilateral meeting in London, Britain May 3, 2021 during the G7 foreign ministers meeting. Chris J Ratcliffe/Pool via REUTERS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States dispatched a senior diplomat on Wednesday to urge Israelis and Palestinians to calm the worst flare-up in violence between them in years, which has appeared to catch the Biden administration off guard as it pursued other priorities.
In remarks welcomed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended Israel's right to protect itself and condemned rockets fired by Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip. He also said Israel had a particular obligation to avoid civilian casualties.
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