Kerry to Travel to Israel, Urges Calm on ‘Both Sides’

While calling on “both sides” to stop the violence and announcing his intention to visit Israel soon, Kerry appeared to blame Israel for the wave of Palestinian terror.

US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Tuesday he is planning a trip to Israel. “I will go there soon, at some point appropriately, and try to work to reengage and see if we can’t move that away from this precipice,” he said, warning that the US’ peace plan for the region, a two-state solution, was slipping away.

An international delegation of foreign ministers led by Secretary of State Kerry, which was slated to land in Israel on Wednesday in an effort to bring an end to the latest wave of Palestinian violence, cancelled its trip and has postponed its diplomatic efforts until an unknown later date.

Kerry also referred to the recent wave of Palestinian terror in Israel, during which he urged “both sides” to refrain from violence and restore the calm.

“The United States condemns, in the strongest terms possible, the terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. And they have resulted in the murder now of three Israelis and left numerous others wounded, and this is on top of violence that has gone back and forth over a number of weeks now,” Kerry stated during a press conference.

“Naturally, we mourn the loss of any life, no matter who it is,” he said ,”but this violence and any incitement to violence has got to stop. The situation is simply too volatile, too dangerous,” he warned.

He stressed again “the importance of all persons of responsibility to condemn the violence on either side and to avoid provocative statements that can inflame the tensions even further.” Palestinians have been murdering Israelis for weeks. It is unclear what violence he was referring to on the Israeli side.

He urged “all sides to take affirmative steps to restore calm.”

He said he would continue to stay “in very close touch” with leaders in the region in the days ahead.