BOSTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry said the violence between Israelis and Palestinians could “spin out of control” unless they take immediate steps to ease tensions.

Kerry was speaking after arriving back in the United States from Israel and the West Bank. He said the US is pressing both sides to show a “genuine commitment” to a two-state peace solution.

He said after landing in Boston that the situation is close to reaching “a pivotal point” after months of violent confrontations. Kerry said the sides are facing “important decisions” and the US hopes they make choices that will “advance the prospects for lasting peace.”

Meanwhile, a Palestinian stabbed and critically wounded an Israeli soldier on Wednesday and was shot dead by troops, the army and a hospital official said.

The attack occurred in the Israeli-occupied West Bank at a road junction near a cluster of Palestinian villages and Jewish settlements. The army said the soldier was critically hurt and an official at Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem said the Palestinian assailant died on the operating table.

A Palestinian official, who asked not to be identified, said Kerry had asked Abbas to try to achieve at least a week of calm to persuade Netanyahu to pursue confidence-building measures. These would include giving the Palestinian Authority self-rule powers in parts of the West Bank where Israel maintains sole security and administrative control.

Another Palestinian official, chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, said on Voice of Palestine Radio that Abbas told Kerry that “Palestinians were the victims” and were only defending themselves against Israeli actions.