Pending a full investigation, the US has not yet determined whether to characterize the attacks as acts of terrorism.
WASHINGTON -- The White House is monitoring an increased
tempo of violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank with a growing sense of alarm,
a senior administration official told The Jerusalem Post on
Wednesday.
Four separate attacks gripped the country on Wednesday
alone, following a series of stabbings and shootings of Israelis over the past
week.
"We are deeply concerned about recent violence and
escalating tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem," the senior official
said, "and we condemn in the strongest terms violence against Israeli and
Palestinian civilians."
"We call upon all parties to take affirmative steps
to restore calm, and refrain from actions and rhetoric that would further
escalate tensions," the official continued.
Pending a full investigation, the US has not yet
determined whether to characterize the attacks as acts of terrorism, a State
Department official told the Post on Tuesday. One victim of the
recent violence, Eitam Simon Henkin, was an American citizen.
Earlier in the week, State Department spokesman John
Kirby strongly condemned the violence and called for all perpetrators to be
"swiftly brought to justice."