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UN chief slams arson attack on synagogue in West Bank

Xinhua, February 9, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the arson attack against a synagogue in the occupied West Bank, calling for thorough investigation, his spokesperson said.

Ban also called on the Palestinians and Israelis to "respect the sanctity of all holy sites, refrain from any inflammatory actions or statements," said Stephane Dujarric at a regular briefing.

The UN chief urged both sides to reject the extremist elements "that are pursuing a political agenda seeking to transform the current situation into a religious conflict," said Dujarric.

According to reports, an arson attack on a synagogue occurred on Saturday in the West Bank. Israel blamed Palestinians for the attack.

Over 170 Palestinians and around 30 Israelis were killed in the latest upsurge of violence since last October.

The latest round of violence comes in light of a freeze in peace talks between Palestinians and Israel since 2014, after 9 months of U.S. mediated talks. Enditem