By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-u-s-ambassador-to-the-un-linda-thomas-greenfield-joins-state-department-news-briefing Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: State Department says U.S. focus is to de-escalate Mideast tensions Politics Updated on Feb 1, 2023 5:58 PM EDT — Published on Feb 1, 2023 12:11 PM EDT State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said the U.S. is “focused on de-escalating the current actions” between the Israeli and Palestinian people. Watch the briefing in the player above. “Over the course of the secretary’s travel, he made clear that the United States will continue to oppose unilateral steps that worsen tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two state solution,” said Patel. “We continue to oppose those things that we think, like I said, will not advance a negotiated two state solution.” Israeli-Palestinian violence has spiked in recent days as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited with a call for calm. An Israeli military raid on a militant stronghold in the West Bank city of Jenin last week killed 10, most of them militants. The next day, a Palestinian shooting attack in an east Jerusalem Jewish settlement killed seven people. A separate east Jerusalem shooting over the weekend by a 13-year-old Palestinian wounded two Israelis. Following the unrest, Israel approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinians. READ MORE: Pope Francis visits Congo, urges forgiveness for past wrongs Hamas issued a statement Tuesday condemning alleged assaults by prison guards against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, specifically female detainees. Patel also spoke about sanctions the U.S. announced sanctions against Myanmar officials on the two year anniversary of the army seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar’s army government rejects virtually all efforts at peacemaking as interference in its internal affairs. The resistance, by contrast, has actively reached out for international support. It won small new diplomatic victories Tuesday as the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada announced new sanctions meant to squeeze the military’s revenue and supply lines. The British and Canadian sanctions are especially noteworthy, as they target the supply of aviation fuel, a move activists have been seeking to counter the increasing number of airstrikes that pro-democracy forces and their allies in ethnic minority rebel groups have been facing in the field. By — Associated Press Associated Press
State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said the U.S. is “focused on de-escalating the current actions” between the Israeli and Palestinian people. Watch the briefing in the player above. “Over the course of the secretary’s travel, he made clear that the United States will continue to oppose unilateral steps that worsen tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two state solution,” said Patel. “We continue to oppose those things that we think, like I said, will not advance a negotiated two state solution.” Israeli-Palestinian violence has spiked in recent days as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited with a call for calm. An Israeli military raid on a militant stronghold in the West Bank city of Jenin last week killed 10, most of them militants. The next day, a Palestinian shooting attack in an east Jerusalem Jewish settlement killed seven people. A separate east Jerusalem shooting over the weekend by a 13-year-old Palestinian wounded two Israelis. Following the unrest, Israel approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinians. READ MORE: Pope Francis visits Congo, urges forgiveness for past wrongs Hamas issued a statement Tuesday condemning alleged assaults by prison guards against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, specifically female detainees. Patel also spoke about sanctions the U.S. announced sanctions against Myanmar officials on the two year anniversary of the army seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar’s army government rejects virtually all efforts at peacemaking as interference in its internal affairs. The resistance, by contrast, has actively reached out for international support. It won small new diplomatic victories Tuesday as the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada announced new sanctions meant to squeeze the military’s revenue and supply lines. The British and Canadian sanctions are especially noteworthy, as they target the supply of aviation fuel, a move activists have been seeking to counter the increasing number of airstrikes that pro-democracy forces and their allies in ethnic minority rebel groups have been facing in the field.