Sec. Kerry to enter the Israeli-Palestinian morass
PARIS - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he'll be meeting this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in a bid to ease tensions that have erupted in deadly violence.
Kerry plans talks with Netanyahu in Germany and then, after a meeting on Syria in an as-yet undetermined location, intends to see Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah in the Mideast.
Kerry isn't giving the exact dates. But U.S. officials say Kerry probably will be in Germany on Thursday and Jordan on Saturday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss Kerry's travel plans.
Over the past month, eight Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. In that time, 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 19 labeled by Israel as attackers, and the rest in clashes with Israeli troops.
The announcement of U.S. involvement in the growing conflagration comes just as the leader of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group called the violent unrest in Israel a "renewed intifada," describing it as the hope for salvation for the Palestinians.
Nasrallah's remarks were broadcast Sunday. He said the wave of attacks against Israelis was carried out by a "new generation" of Palestinians who believe in "resistance" and who must be supported by all in the region.
Palestinian assailants have been carrying out near-daily stabbing attacks against Israelis that have spread from Jerusalem to elsewhere in the country.
Nasrallah said: "It is everyone's responsibility to stand by it and help it, each with their own capabilities, abilities and circumstances."
Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006. They remain bitter enemies.
Netanyahu said Sunday his government is going to go after the finances of the Islamic Movement in Israel, a group he accuses of being the chief inciter of the recent violence.
Netanyahu said his government has been operating on all fronts to stop the wave of attacks and will now start tackling its source. Netanyahu says the government will take measures against the Islamic Movement "particularly its financial sources."
The violence erupted a month ago over the Jewish New Year, fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, a hilltop compound revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site and a key national symbol for the Palestinians.
Israel has adamantly denied the allegations, saying it has no plans to change the status quo at the site, where Jews are allowed to visit but not pray.
Israel accuses the Palestinians of inciting to violence through the false claims. Palestinians say the violence is the result of nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation, more than two decades of failed peace efforts and a lack of hope for gaining independence anytime soon.