The White House affirmed its support for Israel on Monday after more than 58 Palestinian demonstrators were killed in clashes with Israeli forces during riots on the Gaza-Israel border.
"Israel has the right to defend itself," White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah remarked during the daily news briefing. "The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas."
Referring to the rulers of the Gaza Strip, who orchestrated Monday's demonstration along with weekly border protests that claimed the lives of dozens of Palestinians, Shah added that "Hamas is intentionally and cynically provoking this response."
Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's adviser and son-in-law, remarked during a visit to Israel Monday that "as we have seen from the protests of the last month and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution."
"The U.S. is prepared to support a peace agreement in every way that we can," he said. "We believe that it is possible for both sides to gain more than they give so that all people can live in peace, safe from danger, free from fear, and able to pursue their dreams."
Australia's prime minister also blamed Hamas for the deaths of the Gazans on the border. "Hamas' conduct is confrontational. They're seeking to provoke the Israeli defense forces," said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, speaking to a Melbourne radio station.
He said Hamas is "pushing people to the border. In that conflict zone, you're basically pushing people into circumstances where they are very likely to be shot at."
A day after the U.S. officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem, underscoring its controversial recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Turnbull said that Australia will not follow the U.S. lead and keep its embassy in Tel Aviv.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, meanwhile, called on Israel to respond proportionately and refrain from excessive use of force.
The bloodshed drew calls for restraint from a number of countries, including France and the U.K., and stronger criticism from others, with regional power Turkey calling Monday's deaths "a massacre."
Meanwhile Monday, the Pentagon confirmed it had deployed additional U.S. Marine guards to temporarily bolster security at several U.S. embassies after the violence, including Israel, Jordan and Turkey.
