Israel: ‘We want to take the initiative and make sure the U.S. is not complicit in these crimes’

Israel is urging the United States to “take the initiative” and “make sure the United State is not implicated in these heinous crimes” against Palestinians, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Thursday.

In a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yaalon stressed that Israel was ready to take “the initiative” to take action against Israel if the U,S.

and European Union fail to take any meaningful action against Israeli settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.

He also said Israel would “absolutely” take the “appropriate” steps to defend itself against attacks.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Netanyahu, the minister also called for the U to stop funding the “right-wing groups” that have been engaged in incitement against Israel, such as Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which has been involved in stone-throwing at Israeli buses in recent months.

Yaalon added that “the U.s. has been funding these groups for years” and called on the United Nations to halt any such funding.

Israel has blamed Palestinian militants for dozens of attacks on Israeli buses during the past year, claiming they were orchestrated by the Islamic Jihad group.

A group of about 100 protesters set fire to a bus outside the West Bank city of Ramallah in August.

Israel said at the time that the attack was carried out by Palestinian assailants.