(CNN) — US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Friday that his country was “extremely disturbed to see photos of the Israeli police interfering with the funeral of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on Friday.”
According to a US State Department statement, Blinken stated that “every family deserves to bury their loved ones in a dignified and unimpeded manner.”
He added that his country “remains in close contact with our Palestinian and Israeli counterparts regarding Shirin Abu Akleh and calls on everyone to maintain calm and avoid any actions that could further escalate tensions.”
“Every family deserves to be able to provide comfort to their loved ones in a dignified and unimpeded manner,” he said.
A video clip showed the Israeli police beating mourners at Shireen Abu Aqleh’s funeral in Jerusalem, nearly causing her to throw her coffin and forcing them to transport her body by car.