On Tuesday, a Palestinian drove his vehicle into three Israeli soldiers and a paramilitary border policeman along a road in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, injuring all four, the army said.
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Kerry, arriving back in the United States on Wednesday, said Israeli and Palestinian leaders had reached a pivotal point and it was now up to them to make important decisions that will lead to lasting peace.
Israel says the outburst of violence is the result of incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders.
But a senior Israeli government official said there was no internal division over how to tackle Palestinian violence.
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.
On Tuesday, Kerry had hoped to mediate gestures tht would ease tensions in separate talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Nineteen Israelis and an American have been killed in the Palestinian attacks. This year’s annual Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was marked with a particular sense of urgency and concern following the recent violence in the region.
“We’re the two democracies in the Eastern Mediterranean and we are obviously aware that we have a world of opportunities – of technology, of development, of progress – to seize and we can seize it better through cooperation”, Netanyahu said in a statement.
Israeli forces shot and wounded the driver. Another resolution urged Israel to end its “occupation” of the Palestinian territories and invoked the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
Two Palestinians were shot and killed in separate clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank on Thursday as Israel announced plans to strengthen a fence near the flashpoint city of Hebron in an effort to contain a two-month spate of violence. Israeli forces have killed 90 Palestinians, some while carrying out assaults and others in clashes with police and troops.
Ministry spokesman Mohammed Awawdeh says Yehya Taha died in a Ramallah hospital of bullet wounds to the head.
Mr. Netanyahu said this week he was authorizing beefing up security in the West Bank, stopping more cars and deploying additional forces.
Tsipras also spoke of an “enormous potential in energy cooperation” between Greece and Israel.
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Mr. Kerry mentioned him twice by name while in Israel.
