CRI听力:US VP in Jerusalem after Tourist Death

US Vice President Joe Biden has met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as part of his current trip to the Middle East.

The meetings follow the murder of an American tourist in Israel earlier this week.

Meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, US Vice President Joe Biden has condemned both the attack, as well as the Palestinian failure to denounce them.

"The United States of America condemns these acts and condemns the failure to condemn these acts. This cannot become an accepted modus operandi. This cannot be viewed by civilized leaders as an appropriate way in which to behave. There can be no justification for this hateful violence, and the United States stands firmly behind Israel's right to defend itself."

A 28-year old American, a veteran of four tours-of-duty in Iraq, was killed as part of a stabbing-spree which took place on Tuesday in the Israeli sea-side town of Jaffa.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Nothing justifies these attacks. But unfortunately President Abbas has not only refused to condemn these terrorist attacks, his Fatah party actually praised the murderer of this American citizen as a Palestinian martyr and a hero. This is wrong. And this failure to condemn terrorism should be condemned itself by everybody in the international community."

Adding to US outrage over the incident, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party posted a cartoon on its Twitter account of a hand holding a knife over a map of Israel and the Palestinian territories, describing the attacker as a "hero" and "martyr."

Biden has since met with Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Abbas, as well as a number of other leading Palestinian officials, are pointing the finger at the Israeli side for an increase in violence.

Biden's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories is part of his Middle East tour.

The main objective for the visit is to discuss US' new 10-year defence aid package for Israel, currently worth over 3 billion US dollars annually.

The deal comes amid Israeli concerns about the new nuclear agreement signed with Iran.

Speaking with Netanyahu, Biden says the US remains committed to Israel's defense.

"A nuclear armed Iran is an absolutely unacceptable threat to Israel, to the region and to the United States. And I want to reiterate which I know people still doubt here. If in fact they break the deal, we will act. We will act. And all their conventional activity outside of the deal is still beyond the deal, and we will and are attempting to act wherever we can find it."