Israel sees Palestinian attacks 'waning'; two killed in West Bank
Source: Reuters
World | Thu Jan 14, 2016 11:57am EST
Israel sees Palestinian attacks 'waning'; two killed in West Bank
JERUSALEM | BY DAN WILLIAMS
Israeli troops killed two knife-wielding Palestinian assailants in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the army said, the latest in a months-long spate of street violence that Israel's defense minister described as declining.
Almost daily stabbings, car-rammings and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israelis have been fueled in part by frustration at failed statehood talks and a dispute over a Jerusalem holy site, with Muslims angered by perceived Jewish encroachment.
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That brought the number of Palestinians killed since Oct. 1 to at least 145. Israel says 93 of these were assailants, while most of the others died in clashes with Israeli security forces.
Palestinian attacks have killed 24 Israelis and a U.S. citizen over the same period.
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Israel's pre-emptive raids and arrests had prevented the violence from escalating into an armed Palestinian revolt, and he predicted that the grassroots violence would stop.
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Read more:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-idUSKCN0US17R20160114