France calls on Palestinians to stop violence

PARIS, July 15 (AFP) – France on Friday called on Palestinians to “bring the violence to an end” after recent attacks on Israeli civilians, and at the same time urged Israel “not to enter into the logic of reprisals”.

“We call on the Palestinians to bring the violence to an end in accordance with the truce that has been observed since January,” said foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei.

“Attacks on Israeli civilians, such as the recent attack in Netanya and the rockets fired on Sderot which killed an Israeli woman, are unjustifiable and against the interests of the Palestinian people,” he said.

Paris calls on the Palestinian Authority “to do everything to impose public order in the Territories in accordance with the law,” he said.

“In the face of the wave of violence which is again hitting the Middle East, we call on both parties to exercise the greatest restraint and not to enter the logic of reprisals,” he said.

Israeli helicopters carried out three raids on the Gaza Strip overnight after an Israeli woman was killed by Palestinian rocket fire.

And on Friday two leaders of the Islamist movement Hamas were killed after Israeli helicopters fired three rockets at targets near the northern West Bank town of Salfit, Palestinian security sources said.

Subject: French news