Douglas Alexander MP, Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, commenting on the terrorist attack in Jerusalem today, said:

“There is no justification for today’s horrific terrorist attack on worshippers in a synagogue in Jerusalem.

“This act of violence must be condemned and it is right that President Abbas has done so. Claims by Hamas’ leadership that these brutal murders were justified as revenge attacks are simply wrong, and risk inciting further such violence.

“Leaders on all sides now bear a heavy responsibility to take steps to de-escalate the situation in Jerusalem and the West Bank which risks spilling over into even further bloodshed.

“The breakdown of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians in April created a political vacuum that is now being filled with acts of terror and violence.

“A return to negotiations is the only viable way forward and it is vital that both Israeli and Palestinian leaders now work together to overcome the latest violence that has already taken too many innocent lives.”