Israel pushing Palestinians to violence with Temple Mount blockade & settler crimes – US State Department

‘Israel’s conduct, including the tightening of security measures around holy sites in Jerusalem and reluctance to restrain West Bank settler activity, is pushing Palestinians to resort to violence, the US State Department said in a new report.
The annual study, titled Country Reports on Terrorism 2016, hailed the Israeli government for its cooperation with Western partners on combatting terrorist groups in the region, but also took an uncharacteristically tough stance on Israel’s actions towards Palestinians.
“A lack of hope in achieving Palestinian statehood, Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, the perception that the Israeli government was changing the status quo on the Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount, and IDF [Israel Defense Forces] tactics that the Palestinians considered overly aggressive” are pushing Arabs to resort to violent extremism, the report acknowledged.
Settler activity on the West Bank has become another flashpoint in the sectarian tensions as “extremist Israelis, including settlers, continued to conduct acts of violence as well as ‘price tag’ attacks,” the paper added, referring to violent crime in retaliation to what Jewish fundamentalists deemed anti-settlement activities.’

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