Washington, DC – Americans for Peace Now (APN) strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem, in which a Palestinian motorist rammed his van into a crowed of civilians at the seam-line between East and West Jerusalem, killing an Israeli policeman and injuring several bystanders.  This is the second such attack in Jerusalem in two weeks.

As Jerusalem is swept by a wave of escalating violence, reciprocal provocative acts, and mutual incendiary rhetoric, Americans for Peace Now is again urging Israelis and Palestinians to de-escalate. Both Israelis and Palestinians, and in particular their political and religious leaders, must act responsibly to calm the tensions in Jerusalem. 

The current crisis sends a resounding message to both publics and to leaders on both sides, a message that goes beyond the need for immediate action to calm the tension in Jerusalem: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Jerusalem and beyond, cannot be “managed.” It must be resolved, and both sides must engage to find a way toward a political resolution of the conflict. Absent a political horizon, long-term escalation is inevitable.