Brett McGurk, US envoy to the coalition against Islamic State, speaks to during news conference at the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, March 5, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Hadi Mizban/Pool/File Photo.

i24 News – A delegation of Israeli officials walked out of a summit with Palestinian Authority (PA) counterparts following a terrorist attack in the Huwara town in the West Bank, where an Israeli man was seriously wounded.

The summit was held in Egypt, a country that emerged in recent years as a key mediator between Jerusalem and various Palestinian factions. Officials from Israel, the PA, Egypt, Jordan and the United States participated in the emergency conference in an attempt to ease tensions in the region.

The past few months have seen an uptick in Palestinian terrorism against Israeli targets; there is real concern in Israel that the unrest could spill over into a new intifada (popular uprising), especially given the volume of incitement by Palestinian terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

These efforts were also aimed at stabilizing the PA, primarily through economic aid. Ramallah had to comply with the request of Jordan, Egypt and the United States to attend the conference, and sent three representatives close to PA President Mahmoud Abbas. US President Joe Biden’s senior adviser Brett McGurk and foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan also attended the meeting.