A man who was stabbed multiple times Tuesday afternoon in a terror attack in Petah Tikva, Israel, managed to pull the knife out of his own neck and stab his attacker.
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Biden said his wife and grandchildren had been having dinner on the beach not far from the site of the stabbings.
A third was shot dead in the West Bank.
Palestinian leaders blame growing popular anger over Israeli policies and the lack of any formal peace process for the violence. Police are investigating whether he was shot by the gunmen or by police.
The chancellor of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, issued a statement identifying the American stabbing victim as Taylor Force, a student at its Owen Graduate School of Management who was on a school trip to Tel Aviv.
Biden also addressed the current defense aid negotiations between Israel and Washington, which were to be discussed during his visit, telling reporters that the United States is “committed to making sure that Israel can defend itself against all serious threats, maintain its qualitative edge with a quantity sufficient to maintain that”.
The killings mark a spike in attacks that have persisted since last October, leaving five Palestinian attackers killed by police and the American tourist in the span of 24 hours.
The woman was said to be around 50 years old and from east Jerusalem, where the Damascus Gate is also located.
In Tuesday’s attack, the Palestinian assailant ran through the ancient port city of Jaffa with a knife, stabbing several people along his way, until he was shot by a police officer.
In all, twenty-nine Israelis and four foreign nationals have been killed in a wave of Palestinian terrorism and violence since October.
Abbas apparently did not mention that majority were killed while they were carrying out attacks or were suspected of attempting attacks against Israelis.
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A senior Israeli official said the government will tighten security in response to recent attacks. Measures include closing gaps in the separation barrier that surrounds Jerusalem, revoking Israeli work permits for West Bank Palestinians, closing media organizations “that deal in incitement”, and toughening punishment for those who assist Palestinians entering Israel illegally.
