Increase in Israeli settler violence

Reported incidents of violence involving Jewish settlers in Palestine have increased by 315 percent over the last three years according to Saeb Erekat, a Fatah spokesman. In a statement issued by his office in Ramallah, Erekat explained that “the violence can be classified as terrorism perpetrated by criminals and thugs who kill innocent people, burn trees, mosques and churches under the protection of the Israeli army.” The Palestinian people have blamed Israeli Defence Minister Moshe for the increased frequency of attacks. "What we have here in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is worse than the apartheid regime that existed in South Africa. Palestinians are prevented from walking on certain roads, that are only permitted for Israelis access," Erekat added. He described Israeli actions in Jerusalem as “aggression and cleansing,” and called upon the world to stop cooperating with Israel as a state above the law. Meanwhile, Erekat expressed his support for the bid by US Secretary of State John Kerry to resume peace talks between Israel and Palestine which have stalled since 2010. Kerry will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah on Thursday and Friday. Earlier Erekat told a United Nations committee in New York that "the Palestinian leadership does not impose any conditions for the resumption of negotiations, but it sticks to its own terms of freezing settlements and releasing Palestinian prisoners.”