Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday said the violent attacks taking place by Palestinians against Jewish people in Israel are “random acts of violence.”
“We continue to urge everybody to exercise restraint and restrain from any kind of self-help in terms of the violence, and Israel has every right in the world to protect its citizens, as it has been, from random acts of violence,” Kerry said in Madrid, Spain after meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo.
Kerry’s remark is likely to lead to complaints that the Obama administration is downplaying what Israel says is a premeditated plan to murder Jews in Israel. Palestinian religious leaders have called for these attacks, and Israel has said its counterattacks have been defensive in nature.
Critics of the Obama administration have also said officials are treating the violence as equivalent, by calling on “both sides” to help reduce tensions.
Last week, the State Department said several times it has asked both Israelis and Palestinians to reduce the level of violence, and refused to agree with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the Palestinians are to blame.
Later in the week, State stuck to its assertion that there has been “excessive” use of force on Israel’s part, but declined to cite any examples.
Kerry said Israelis have told him that they will not change the status quo when it comes to access to the Temple Mount, but said he hopes to talk to both sides soon.
“I don’t have specific expectations except to try to move things forward,” he said. “And it would depend on the conversations themselves as to what it is that we’re able to define in the context of steps that might or might not be taken to help people understand that in fact leaders are leading and making a serious effort to try to resolve the current level of conflict.”
