US Secretary of State condemns Palestinian attacks in Mideast visit

In remarks published by Israeli media, Kerry also expressed condemnation for any act of “terror that takes innocent lives and disrupts the day-to-day life of a nation”.

“He (Kerry) showed understanding for Israel’s right to self-defense while ignoring the Palestinians’ right to defend themselves against Israel’s state terrorism and summary executions”, Aiatah told the Palestinian Khabar news agency.

After those comments, senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi condemned Netanyahu for “cynically exploiting” the Paris attacks “to create a misleading linkage and to justify Israeli state terror against the Palestinian people, while presenting Israel as the victim”.

“There can be no peace when we have an onslaught of terror, not here, not anywhere else”, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as he welcomed the chief American diplomat.

During his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of State John Kerry says that Israel has both a right and an obligation to defend itself.

He refrained, however, from condemning the death of the 97 Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces since October 1.

The UN General Assembly committee responsible for human rights has adopted a resolution urging Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories.

In other incidents, the Israeli military said another knife-wielding Palestinian was shot dead in the West Bank before he could harm anyone. Palestinians say that any attempt to expand building in the West Bank must be rejected.

The violence has left 92 Palestinians dead, including one Arab Israeli, as well as 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.

Tensions have soared since September.

Israeli daily Haaretz, meanwhile, reported that the US administration had demanded a series of measures from Israel aimed at improving the moribund Palestinian economy.

Hamas representative Sami Abu Zuhri said in an emailed press statement that it doesn’t welcome Kerry, calling upon the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to boycott his visit because it’s an “insult to the martyrs and a provocation to the Palestinian people”. The parties declare they remain committed to the two-state solution but neither side appeared to expect a big push to resume talks at this point.

A Palestinian fatally stabbed an Israeli soldier at a West Bank gas station Monday before being killed along with two other Palestinian attackers.

Later, Kerry met for over two hours with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

Many of them have been young people, including teenagers, reflecting anger and lost hope over Israel’s occupation, the Palestinians’ fractured leadership and the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, some analysts say.

In Washington, the State Department quickly rejected any suggestion the US would alter its longstanding opposition to settlements or recognize them as legitimate outside of a peace agreement. In practice, Netanyahu said, the civilian projects that the Palestinians are interested in will only be possible if the level of violence is lowered and Israel’s security needs are met.

Earlier this month, USA officials said Obama had made a “realistic assessment” that a peace deal was impossible during his final months in office.

U.S. secretary of state John Kerry has called the situation for Palestinians in the West bank and Gaza “very dire” and said that the USA wants to “help contribute to calm” and to restore confidence in the two-state solution.