Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made a public appeal for calm on Tuesday as a recent spike in deadly violence in East Jerusalem and the West Bank threaten to spiral into armed confrontation with Israel.
"We want to reach a political solution peacefully, and no other solution," said Abbas. "We want to minimize the risks of destruction and loss that will sprout on all sides in the current situation."
The Palestinian president lay blame on Israel for the recent violence. "We say to the Israelis: Stop building in the settlements and come to the negotiating table," he said. "We will be willing to return to negotiations and discuss the agreements that have been violated and neglected by Israel since Oslo and until now.
"We are committed to these agreements, but it is unreasonable for us to be the only ones who are committed to them," he continued. "If Israel does not want these agreements, we do not want to implement them.