Palestine urges CIA chief to pressure Israel to stop unilateral measures

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on CIA director William Burns to pressure Israel to stop its "unilateral" measures against the Palestinians.

"It is important for an urgent intervention to pressure the new Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu to stop its unilateral measures and abide by the signed agreements," Abbas was quoted by the official news agency WAFA as saying on Sunday.

"It is important to restore the political horizon based on international resolutions, to achieve security and stability for everyone in the region," Abbas told Burns during their meeting held at the presidential headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Abbas also briefed Burns on the latest developments and the recent wave of tension in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Xinhua news agency reported.

Before meeting with Abbas, Burns held talks with the chiefs of the Palestinian security apparatuses in the West Bank.

The CIA chief arrived in Israel on Thursday amid growing tensions between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Since early January, tension between Israel and the Palestinians has been flaring. Around 32 Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured by Israeli soldiers since January 1, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Eight Israelis were killed on Friday in a shooting attack near a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighbourhood in Jerusalem, while another incident in the city on Saturday left two people seriously wounded, according to Israeli media reports.

--IANS

int/khz/