Washington, Ramadan 12, 1435, Jul 9, 2014, SPA -- The United States Wednesday urged Israel and the Palestinians to de-escalate tensions in Gaza and expressed concern for the civilians on both sides as Israel conducts a campaign of air strikes. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that U.S. officials have been “encouraging all sides to de-escalate the situation,” restore calm, and take steps to protect civilians. She said that White House Middle East coordinator Philip Gordon was in occupied Al-Quds and the West Bank Wednesday and had met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. --SPA 22:49 LOCAL TIME 19:49 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w