The latest in Palestinian attacks on Israelis includes the death of an American tourist who was fatally wounded in Jaffa, Israel. Israeli police confirmed that an American tourist, Taylor Force, who was on holiday in the ancient port city of Jaffa, was fatally stabbed by a Palestinian attacker who was part of a larger group of Palestinians engaging in multiple assaults on Israeli civilians and police.
[revad1]
Taylor Force was a U.S. Army veteran and a graduate student of Vanderbilt University who was on an Owen Graduate School of Management school trip to Tel Aviv. In an online school publication, he had answered a question regarding what he’d like to achieve while attending the school,
“establish life-long connections and friendships with my fellow students from the U.S. and around the globe” and that he “would like to help maintain and promote [the school’s] altruistic culture.“
Taylor Force’s death comes during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and his meeting with former Israeli President, Shimon Peres, at the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa. As Mr. Peres stood next to Vice President Biden, he remarked on this latest wave of attacks,
“I notified the vice president on the terrible incident that took place just a few hundred meters away from here in Jaffa. Terror leads to nowhere neither to Arabs nor to us.“
Israel has seen an increase in violence in near-daily attacks from Palestinians going on five months now with no indication of any type of abatement and coupled with the Iranian ambassador offering payment to Palestinian families of ‘martyrs’ in Israel, there is no incentive for Palestinians to stop the violence; thus causing the two-state issue between Israel and Palestine to be at the forefront again . Mr. Peres, regarding the the two-state solution, said
“The majority of the people know there is no alternative to the two-state solution … and we shall follow with all our strength and dedication to make from it a new reality.“
Israel Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu canceled his trip to the White House just days before this latest wave of Palestinian attacks citing concerns that visiting the United States during a presidential primary wouldn’t be appropriate at this time. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been a staunch advocate against the Iran Deal that President Obama supported and pushed through, which is being speculated as the primary reason he canceled his visit to the White House.
It’s clear that Palestinians have become relentless in their attacks as they increase in intensity and with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran making threats to Israel, veiled or otherwise, it seems wise for Prime Minster Netanyahu to cancel his visit to the White House regardless of what the reason is.
Will the death of an American in Israel change the current U.S. administration’s stance on Israel and Palestine relations? Sound off in the comments below!
