Palestinians keep up attacks in Israel as Kerry seeks to calm violence

Forty-eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including 27 labeled by Israel as attackers and the rest in clashes.

“There is no substitute to direct talks”, he said after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

KELEMEN: Hoarse from all of his travel and meetings, Kerry says he will meet Jordan’s King Abdullah as well as Abbas in Jordan on Saturday, and he hopes everyone will, as he puts it, seize the moment and pull back from the precipice. Lies that Israel wants to tear down the Al-Aqsa Mosque and lies that Israel is executing Palestinians.

Israel has asked FIFA to condemn the recent comments of the president of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, who in a recent interview glorified Palestinian attacks against Israelis and says he believes the perpetrators are courageous heroes.

It also called for “maximum restraint and avoidance of provocative rhetoric and actions”.

The appeals came as tensions showed little sign of easing, with Palestinian movements holding a “day of rage” Friday against Israel.

In a state founded on liberal values, to create a national home for a persecuted people, civilian violence tragically has become the norm for every generation of Israelis and Palestinians.

The violence has worsened mutual distrust between Jews and Israeli Arabs and Palestinians and led to a heightened police presence around Jerusalem.

The men, from a West Bank town near Hebron, were both wearing t-shirts bearing the logo of the Hamas armed wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, according to the Israel Police.

Israel’s new United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon urged the council to “stop making excuses for the Palestinians” and hold them accountable for the current wave of violence.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that two Palestinians who had attempted to hijack a bus in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh had been shot by Israeli police officers.

Bethlehem has been the scene of violent clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops.

“Everyone’s nerves are very tense, and when the pressure and adrenaline are so high, there is concern of an easy trigger finger”, opposition lawmaker Mickey Levy, a former Jerusalem police commander, told Israeli television.

“Of course it is better but there are still checkpoints and searches”.

“There is no question that wave of attacks is driven directly by incitement”.

The decision to allow Muslims of all ages to pray at the site coincided with a diplomatic push by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to restore calm.

It is managed by an Islamic foundation under the auspices of Jordan but Israel controls access.

One of the alleged attackers was killed, while the second was in critical condition.

The Israeli leader has insisted he has no intention of changing the rules.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said he would never dismiss the possibility of a meeting if it could help de-escalate the violence.

Students at the vigil shared stories from victims, read the names of Israelis who have died or have been injured in the past few weeks, and recited the Michigan Shebeirach – a Jewish prayer often reserved for healing. US officials insist they weren’t surprised by that visit, and they seem to think they can still work with Russian Federation on a political solution.