Germany, Jordan back calls for ‘a swift cease-fire’ between Israel and Palestine

BERLIN (AA) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Jordan's King Abdullah II agreed in a phone call to support initiatives for “a swift cease-fire” between Israel and Palestine, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.

“Both agreed that initiatives for a swift cease-fire should be supported in order to create the conditions for the resumption of political negotiations,” government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.

At least 213 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed and 1,442 others injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since May 10, according to the Palestinian authorities.

Ten Israelis have also been killed in rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

The recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread to Gaza as a result of Israeli assaults on worshippers in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.