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As Palestinian Attacks on Israelis Continue, Administration Takes a More Realistic Tone
(Washington Post) Jackson Diehl - Attacks on Israelis by Palestinians, which began in Jerusalem in September, have turned into a steady drumbeat. There were five in the first four days of last week alone; 13 Israelis were shot, stabbed or deliberately hit by cars, while three of their Palestinian attackers were shot and killed. The Israeli army reports 90 stabbings, 33 shootings and 15 car rammings between Sept. 13 and Dec. 9. Senior Israeli officials believe that Abbas and his top aides, while professing to oppose the ongoing violence, have done their best to stoke it. Abbas' chief diplomatic negotiator, Saeb Erekat, paid a condolence call on the family of a Palestinian Authority policeman who had shot two Israelis before being killed himself. The Israelis believe, with reason, that Kerry and Obama are pressing the Netanyahu government for concessions while asking little from the Palestinians - even though almost all the violence has been initiated by Palestinian attackers. The administration is now taking the more modest but realistic tack that Obama should have adopted years ago: pressing for practical improvements in the Palestinian economy and daily life that could reduce tensions while helping to lay the groundwork for an eventual state.