Third Palestinian killed in West Bank clashes with Israeli army

According to the Palestinian Safa news agency, which translates Hebrew language reports, the officer made his comment when addressing military correspondents in an IDF base on Tuesday.

Yehya Taha, 21, died in a Ramallah hospital of bullet wounds to the head, said health ministry spokesman Mohammed Awawdeh. Kerry at the same time expressed strong support for Israel and condemned Palestinian attacks when he met Netanyahu.

He highlighted the case of Nurhan Awad, a 14-year-old Palestinian who was shot and killed by an Israeli police officer after “she lay injured and immobile on the ground”.

The two deaths were the latest in a two-month wave of violence.

The attacks, many of them carried out spontaneously by young Palestinians, have killed 19 Israelis and an American since October 1. Israel says 57 of these were attackers, while the rest died in clashes with security forces. “A Palestinian assailant stabbed and wounded an Israeli at the Al Fawwar junction”, the military said in a statement. Yaalon said attackers have managed to get through the structure in recent weeks.

“We intend to bring a far more massive barrier there”, he said.

After his meetings with both Netanyahu and Abbas this week, Kerry warned that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is at a “pivotal point” and could worsen beyond fix unless both sides make rapid compromises. “Demolitions that result in forced evictions and displacement run counter to Israel’s obligations under worldwide law and create unnecessary suffering and tension”, he said.

Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said Abbas called on Israel to commit to the two-state solution and provided Kerry with evidence that Israel is “destroying” that goal through continued settlement construction. These would include giving the Palestinian Authority self-rule powers in parts of the West Bank where Israel maintains sole security and administrative control. The fence will have similar technology as the recently constructed Israeli fence on the Egyptian frontier meant to prevent infiltration by militants and African migrants.