Bulgaria Concerned over Escalating Jerusalem Tensions

Bulgaria on Wednesday said it is deeply concerned by the escalation of tensions in Jerusalem following the brutal slaying of Israeli worshippers by two Palestinian attackers.

The gruesome murder of four rabbis during their morning prayer in a Jerusalem synagogue on Tuesday has seriously threatened the peace process in the Middle East "and the prospects for its resumption have drastically decreased", Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said in a statement.

He once again condemned the murder of Israeli citizens, saying that "such acts of terrorism cannot be justified by any cause."

Mitov appealed to Israel and the Palestinians to carefully think over what has happened over the past weeks and "do their utmost to immediately calm down the situation."

The Bulgarian foreign minister also urged the Palestinian unity government to make every effort to put under control extremist factions which are threatening the peace and security in the Middle East with their actions.

Mitov called on all leaders in the region to do their best to help end violence and bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.