Following Friday’s deadly terror attack on the Temple Mount, in which two Israeli police officers were killed, the White House issued a statement of support of Israeli actions to secure the holy site.

The statement, attributed to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, said that the administration “strongly condemns the terror attack” and declared itself heartbroken “that terrorists brutally gunned down two Israeli police officers.” The White House offered sympathy to the families men who died while protecting the site—the holiest in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.

“There must be zero tolerance for terrorism,” the administration added. “It is incompatible with achieving peace and we must condemn it in the strongest terms, defeat it, and eradicate it.”

The White House also expressed its support for Israel’s decision to temporarily close the Temple Mount to worshipers (the site has since been reopened), and stated that Israel was not seeking to change the status quo in the area, a decision it “applauds and welcomes.”

“We urge all leaders and people of good faith to be understanding as this process proceeds and reaches its conclusion,” the statement concluded.

[Photo: soccerdhg / Flickr]