Palestinian attacks ‘acts of terrorism’, says Kerry

Jerusalem, November 24 

US Secretary of State John Kerry began a one-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday by describing a wave of Palestinian knife and car ramming attacks as terrorism that must be condemned.

At the start of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kerry said they would discuss ways to work together to restore calm. With US-backed Palestinian statehood negotiations frozen since 2014, Netanyahu said there could be no peace while an “onslaught of terror” continued.

Shortly before Kerry and Netanyahu convened in Jerusalem, a Palestinian drove his car into three Israeli soldiers and a paramilitary border policeman along a road in the occupied West Bank, injuring all four, the army said.

Israeli forces shot and wounded the driver. “It is very clear to us that the terrorism, these acts of terrorism which have been taking place, deserve the condemnation that they are receiving,” Kerry said. He was due to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas  in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Abbas and other Palestinian leaders have accused Israel of using excessive force to quell attacks, saying that in many cases assailants could have been stopped and detained without being shot and killed. They have also described the violence as a consequence of Israel’s occupation. — Reuters