“A difficult two weeks” brought U.S. Special Representative to International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt to the Western Wall on Thursday night.
Like the long chain of ancestors before him, Greenblatt knew there was really only one answer, when there seemed to be only questions.
A difficult two weeks have brought me to the again. I pray for lasting peace in this special place and across the region. pic.twitter.com/tXycrBH2iz
— Jason D. Greenblatt (@jdgreenblatt45) July 27, 2017
Just a little while earlier, Greenblatt posted a statement on the U.S. Embassy website on the day’s events in Jerusalem, welcoming the efforts made to de-escalate tensions.
“We believe that calm and security will create the best opportunity to return to dialogue and the pursuit of peace,” he wrote. “President Trump, Jared Kushner, and I, in full coordination with Secretary Rex Tillerson, Ambassador David Friedman, Consul General Don Blome and the State Department, as well as General HR McMaster and the National Security Council, have been and will remain engaged as we continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Also Thursday night, the envoy met with National Infrastructure and Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, and with Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz.
Earlier this week, Greenblatt paid a condolence call to the home of the Salomon family, whose grandfather and two adult children – including a father and husband, and a daughter and teacher – were murdered by a 19-year-old terrorist. “With a heavy heart I visited the Solomons (sic), “ he wrote. “Three brutally murdered at their Shabbat table in terror attack. May their memories be a blessing.”
With a heavy heart I visited the Solomons. Three brutally murdered at their Shabbat table in terror attack. May their memories be a blessing pic.twitter.com/tOlnWm9pxk
— Jason D. Greenblatt (@jdgreenblatt45) July 26, 2017