Palestinian Man Stabs Two Israelis in Jerusalem

A Palestinian on Monday stabbed two Israelis in East Jerusalem, including an Air Force soldier.

The victims, both 20-year-old men, were treated at the scene for the attack, with one suffering moderate injuries. A statement from the Israel Defense Forces said the Air Force soldier was taken to the hospital for additional medical care. The Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli police officers after the attack.

The violence comes during a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel after an 11-day barrage of rocket attacks against the Jewish state by radical jihadists. Over the course of the conflict, Hamas fired more than 4,000 missiles at Israel, killing 12 Israeli civilians. Israeli warplanes returned fire by bombing thousands of military targets in Gaza. Over 200 Palestinians were killed. In the 2014 conflict between Israel and terrorists in Gaza, diplomats brokered nine different ceasefires before fighting completely subsided.

Conflict in Israel has drawn controversy at home, as far-left Democrats continue to accuse the Jewish state of “apartheid” and “racism” and call for aid to be cut off. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit the region amid the heightened tensions between Israel and its neighbors, with visits to Ramallah in the West Bank; Cairo; Amman, Jordan; and Jerusalem. Blinken plans to initiate talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

“The United States has engaged in intensive diplomacy to bring an end to the hostilities in Gaza,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday. “Secretary Blinken is traveling to the region to discuss essential follow-up efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and reduce risks of further conflict over the coming months.”