Kerry warns Israel about collapse of PA

AFP, WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Saturday about the consequences of any collapse of the Palestinian Authority, saying it would be a threat to Israel. Since October 1, almost daily assaults and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers and violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers have killed 109 Palestinians, including an Israeli Arab, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. Israeli officials privately accept that the violence is likely to continue. Palestinians are frustrated by the failure of decades of peace talks and the ongoing occupation of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, with many also losing faith in the leadership of president Mahmud Abbas. “President Abbas spoke more despairingly, my friends, than I have ever heard him about the sense of hopelessness that the Palestinian people feel,” Kerry, who traveled to the region last month, said in a speech at the Brookings Institution. He added that the level of distrust between the two sides “has never been more profound,” calling for an end to the violence before it worsens yet again.

Kerry warns Israel about collapse of PA

AFP, WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Saturday about the consequences of any collapse of the Palestinian Authority, saying it would be a threat to Israel. Since October 1, almost daily assaults and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers and violence between Palestinians and Israeli settlers have killed 109 Palestinians, including an Israeli Arab, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. Israeli officials privately accept that the violence is likely to continue. Palestinians are frustrated by the failure of decades of peace talks and the ongoing occupation of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, with many also losing faith in the leadership of president Mahmud Abbas. President Abbas spoke more despairingly, my friends, than I have ever heard him about the sense of hopelessness that the Palestinian people feel, Kerry, who traveled to the region last month, said in a speech at the Brookings Institution. He added that the level of distrust between the two sides has never been more profound, calling for an end to the violence before it worsens yet again.