Brussels - (AFP) - European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on Israel to use lethal force only as a "last resort", condemning "strongly" the two attacks carried out by Palestinians Friday and Saturday.

Two Israelis were injured on Saturday morning in a shooting attack in East Jerusalem carried out by a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who was also shot by the police, the day after an attack on a synagogue left seven dead and the perpetrator was killed.

"The EU is fully aware of Israel's legitimate security concerns and justified by the recent terrorist attacks, but it should be emphasized that lethal force should only be used as a last resort, when unavoidable to protect lives," Borrell said in a statement.

"The European Union is very concerned about the escalation of tensions in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We call on both parties to do their best to de-escalate and relaunch coordination at the security level, which is essential to prevent further violence," he added.

These attacks come in light of the escalation in the confrontations in the Palestinian territories after the bloody raids of the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank, the most violent in nearly twenty years, followed by the firing of rockets by Palestinian factions from the Gaza Strip, to which Israel responded by launching raids on the besieged sector controlled by Hamas.

Borrell recalled that "at least nine Palestinians were killed Thursday in Jenin and more than 20 were wounded during an operation by Israeli forces," which raises "the number of Palestinian deaths in the West Bank to 30 since the beginning of the year."

"Last year, Israeli forces killed more than 150 people in the West Bank, including 30 children, in a toll that is the highest since the end of the second intifada in 2005," he added.

In a separate statement, Borrell said the EU was "appalled by the shocking terrorist attack" that took place on Friday near a synagogue and "by the attack that took place on Saturday morning in East Jerusalem".

"The European Union strongly condemns these senseless acts of violence and hatred. These terrible events once again reflect the urgent need to reverse this spiral of violence and to make meaningful efforts to re-launch peace negotiations. We call on all parties not to respond to provocations," he added.