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RAMALLAH/JERUSALEM, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called upon the Israeli government on Monday to "curb settlers, their provocations and attacks" against the holy sites and the unarmed Palestinian people.
Abbas made the appeal during his meeting with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential Headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
He said that Palestinian side is committed to the peace process -based on the two-state solution- to establish the independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital, on the 1967 borders.
The official Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) said that Abbas briefed the Indian leader of the latest situation in the Palestinian territory, and the "dangerous Israeli escalation" demanding Israel to "implement its commitments according to the signed agreements."
Mukherjee said during a dinner reception Abbas conducted on his honor that peace and stability in the region are an Indian benefit.
"We share the conviction with the Palestinian leadership that a fair and permanent solution will help bring stability and security to the region and the world," Wafa quoted Mukherjee as saying. He added that diplomacy should replace "hatred and violence."
Confrontations between Palestinians on the one hand and the Israeli army and settlers on the other hand flared up following the death of an Israeli married couple earlier this month. Two Israelis were killed in stabbing and shooting attacks in east Jerusalem.
The Palestinian health ministry announced on Monday that the Palestinian death toll mounted to 26 since Oct. 1, after the Israeli police killed a 15-year-old Palestinian north of Jerusalem.
The ministry added in a statement that 15 people were killed in the West Bank while 11 were killed in Gaza. More than 1300 Palestinians were injured by live and rubber-coated bullets, the ministry said.
The ministry noted that one-third of the killed Palestinians are children, "which confirms that the Israeli occupation is directly targeting children, where their injuries were focused in the upper body."
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Abbas on Monday of denying political solutions to reducing the rising tensions.
He called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to "firmly denounce" the stabbing attacks, and blamed Abbas for refusing to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
He noted that claims accusing Israel in planning to take over East Jerusalem's flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque compound are "absolute lies," saying that the unrest around the holy site "comes from the desire to annihilate us."
The Israeli leader also blamed Israeli-Arab parties for "undermining" the country and "inciting" recent surge of attacks against Israelis.
Netanyahu said certain Arab lawmakers expressed support to violence against Israelis. He called on Arab citizens of Israel to "repel the extremists among you."
About 1.6 million Arabs living in Israel have full Israeli citizenship, but often complain about discrimination and racism.
Netanyahu warned his supporters that Arabs are voting in large number on March's elections day, and he is committed to "coexistence."
Also on Monday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) urged a political action to prevent further escalation of the mounting tensions between the Palestinians and Israelis.
UNRWA expressed in a statement its deep alarm by the escalating violence and widespread loss of civilian lives in the Palestinian territory and in Israel.
"The root causes of the conflict, among them the Israeli occupation, must be addressed," UNRWA statement said stating that there is a pervasive sense of hopelessness and despair across the occupied Palestinian territory resulting from the denial of rights and dignity.
UNRWA called upon all parties to protect the rights of children, particularly their right to life, and for maximum restraint to ensure the protection of civilians, in accordance with international law. Enditem
Tension has first started in east Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem after extreme Israelis broke into the compound conducting prayers on the Jewish holidays.
