J Street is horrified and deeply saddened by two terrorist bombings at bus stops in Jerusalem today, which killed a 16-year-old Canadian-Israeli boy, Aryeh Shechopek, and wounded at least 22 others. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and loved ones, and the entire people of Jerusalem and Israel as they mourn this attack and fear further acts of terror.
We condemn this malicious attack. Acts of terror and violence are never acceptable, and only lead to more pain, suffering and loss for both Israelis and Palestinians. For many Israelis and supporters of Israel in the United States and around the world, these attacks conjure painful and fearful memories of an earlier era of terror bombings on buses during the Second Intifada, when hundreds of Israeli civilians were killed.
We remain extremely concerned by the ongoing escalation in violence throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem in recent months, which has evidenced a dangerous deterioration of an unsustainable status quo and cost many lives. We urge our own US government to take every possible action to help Israelis and Palestinians reduce tensions, prevent further violence and suffering, and chart a path away from the abyss.