On Monday, a Palestinian fatally stabbed a soldier, two Palestinian girls were shot after they stabbed an elderly Arab man and a vehicle struck a pedestrian before speeding off to a nearby West Bank town. Another possibility, also reported in the past, is revoking the Palestine Liberation Organization’s recognition of Israel, which formed the basis of the 1993 Oslo Accords. The others died in clashes with Israeli forces.
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Another Palestinian official, chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, said on Voice of Palestine Radio that Abbas told Kerry that “Palestinians were the victims” and were only defending themselves against Israeli actions.
Since October 1, 19 Israelis and an American have been killed in Palestinian attacks. Furthermore, construction permits for Palestinians are conditional on global recognition of building in the Israel settlement blocs in the West Bank.
The deaths come the day after an Israel Defense Forces officer acknowledged to the Israeli Ynet news site that the IDF’s policy is to minimize Palestinian deaths as much as possible. No Israelis were reportedly injured. Palestinians, meanwhile, have said it is rooted in frustrations over Israel’s nearly-half-century-long occupation of the West Bank.
An Israeli official said government officials, however, have rejected the military’s proposals.
In his speech, Abbas confirmed the importance of establishing a joint Palestinian-Greek committee to discuss bilateral issues and to further develop relations between the two countries. The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank, captured by Israel in 1967, as the heartland of their future state.
A senior Israeli official on Thursday was dismissive about the misgivings being sounded by the military, saying there was no internal division over how to tackle Palestinian violence.
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On Wednesday, Israel’s parliament advanced a bill that would allow the jailing of minors younger than 14.
