Washington: The United States regards a recent spate of stabbings and shootings of Israelis by Palestinians as "acts of terror," the State Department said today.
But spokesman John Kirby would not be drawn on whether an apparent revenge attack by a Jewish suspect that wounded two Palestinians and two Israeli Arabs was also terrorism.
"We would consider these violent acts that we're talking about specifically here as acts of terror," Kirby said, answering a question about the wave of violence.
"The stabbings, the shootings, terrorism, yes." Asked whether this extended to the stabbing allegedly carried out by a 17-year-old Israeli Jew in the city of Dimona, Kirby said he was not aware of the incident.
"I don't have the details on that, so I'd really rather not get into this event by event," he said. "But we do consider these particular acts of violence that we've seen -- the stabbings and the killings there particularly in East Jerusalem -- as terror.
"All the violence needs to stop and calm should be restored," he said. There have been 13 stabbings since Saturday, including the Dimona assault, amid clashes that have raised the specter of a new Palestinian uprising or "intifada."
New clashes erupted Friday in Gaza, where Israeli forces opened fire and killed six Palestinians -- including a 15-year-old -- and wounded 80, according to medics.
