This month, dozens of Palestinians have attempted to murder Israelis — and in several tragic cases have been successful — in horrific gun, knife and hatchet attacks.

For those of us who yearn for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the violent destruction of innocent life is heartbreaking. The current wave of terrorism betrays every effort Israelis have made to resolve the conflict, from the Oslo Accords, to three rejected Israeli peace offers since 2000, to the withdrawal of every settler from Gaza. Ironically, every Palestinian who picks up a knife with murderous intentions ultimately threatens that which will secure a future for his own people: compromise, reconciliation and coexistence.

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military began deploying hundreds of troops in Israeli cities Wednesday to assist police forces in countering a wave of deadly Palestinian shooting and stabbing attacks that have created panic across the country.

The military’s deployment of six companies marks the first implementation of measures by Israel’s security cabinet to counter the attacks that have intensified dramatically in recent days. The cabinet met late into the night and announced steps early Wednesday that included allowing police to seal off points of friction or incitement. Many of the recent attackers have come from Arab areas of Jerusalem, prompting calls to seal off those neighbourhoods to contain potential attackers.

At first glance, these incidents appear to be the work of uncoordinated lone wolves. Upon closer inspection, it is clear that this violence is driven by incitement in mosques, schools, media, social media and — most significantly — from the Palestinian political leadership.

On Oct. 3, shortly after posting online that “the Third Intifada has arrived,” Palestinian student Muhannad Halabi attacked an Israeli couple and their two-year-old in the Old City of Jerusalem. As Adele Benitah, now a widow, struggled with her wounds at the scene, Arab shopkeepers and bystanders spat and cursed at her. A short time later, a baby born in the village of El-Bireh was named after Halabi. According to Palestinian media, the baby’s birth “eternalized the name of the hero among the heroes of our eternal people.” A week later, the Palestinian Bar Association, which is funded by the United Nations and European Union, awarded an honorary law degree to Halabi.

These attacks cannot be dismissed as isolated, or the product of Palestinian frustration, given the prevalence in Palestinian society of conspiracy-peddling, encouragement to violence and honouring terrorists. A 2014 Pew Center poll determined that 46 per cent of Palestinians say that suicide bombings are justified. Palestinian Facebook pages are filled with images and videos urging knife attacks and providing instructions on how to carry out a successful rampage.

Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) is deliberately fanning the flames in a cynical bid to establish its own popular credibility. This goes beyond posthumous honours granted to terrorists and financial rewards to their families. The current wave of attacks cannot be divorced from incendiary conspiracy theories voiced by the PA in the preceding weeks and months.

The PA accuses the Israeli government of harbouring plans to destroy the rights of Muslim worshippers on the Temple Mount and to desecrate the adjacent Al-Aqsa mosque, an objectively preposterous claim. At the same time, the PA supports the absurd myth that there was never a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, a denial of history popularized by Yasser Arafat that remains a constant theme in Palestinian media and classrooms. Abbas’ recent statements are more invitations to violence, inciting Arab citizens of Jerusalem to fight an imaginary threat.

On Sept. 16, Abbas said on Palestinian TV: “Al-Aqsa Mosque is ours. They have no right to desecrate it with their filthy feet. We won’t allow them to do so and we will do everything in our power to defend Jerusalem.” In reference to Palestinian rioters on the Temple Mount, Abbas declared: “We bless every drop of blood spilled for Jerusalem. This is clean and pure blood, blood that was spilled for God. It is Allah’s will that every martyr will go to heaven and every injured person will receive God’s reward.”

Two weeks later, Abbas declared to the UN that the Palestinians are “no longer bound” by the Oslo Accords, which require the Palestinian Authority to renounce violence and counter terrorism. The New York Times subsequently reported that “Palestinians widely viewed Mr. Abbas’s speech … at the United Nations General Assembly as tacit approval for defiant, violent attacks against Israelis.” The Times quoted an Arab psychologist in Jerusalem: “He gave a green light for the attacks.”

Canada and other countries that contribute to Palestinian aid should bluntly inform the PA that its deliberate efforts to fan the flames of violence are the foremost threat to peace, and are therefore deplored by the international community. This week, we brought these concerns and documentation of Palestinian incitement directly to the Palestinian diplomatic office in Ottawa. The realist within us does not expect the Palestinian leadership to change course; the idealist within every rabbi demands that we refuse to remain silent at this time.