We at the New Israel Fund are appalled and outraged by the terrorist attack on the Har Nof synagogue this morning. We offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the murdered and refuah shlema to the wounded.

The escalation of violence in Jerusalem continues to hold civilians hostage to the most extreme voices on both sides. We urge the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, and civic leaders in all sectors of Israeli and Palestinian society to act in moderation, to emphasize respect for the rights of their neighbors, and to abjure incendiary rhetoric and incitement.

It is again obvious that Israel needs a political solution to the conflict, a retreat from religious and nationalist extremism on both sides, and the renewal of the values of equality, justice, and democracy.