WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Middle East Quartet noted, however, that the recent terrorist attacks, including the Jerusalem bus bombing in April and the shooting in Tel Aviv cafe in June, demonstrated that the violence in the region continues.
"The frequency of attacks and clashes declined significantly in 2016," the report said. "This slowdown is due in large part to the effective efforts of the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, who have successfully thwarted attacks, seized weapons, and arrested suspected extremists. Continued security coordination between both sides has also played a key part in reducing violence."
The Middle East Quartet is comprised of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
