Israelis, Palestinians pledge to calm tensions: Kerry

PanARMENIAN.Net - Israel and the Palestinians have pledged to take concrete steps to calm tensions around Jerusalem's holiest site, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday, Nov 13, after talks in the Jordanian capital, Reuters reported.

Violence has flared in recent weeks over the compound, revered by Muslims as Noble Sanctuary, where al-Aqsa mosque stands, and by Jews as the Temple Mount, where their biblical temples once stood.

Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians have raised fears they could trigger a new Palestinian uprising.

All parties had agreed to "specific and practical actions that both sides can take to restore calm," said Kerry, declining to say what those actions were.

"Today, we are working to smother the sparks of immediate tension so that they don’t become a fire that is absolutely out of control," Kerry added, flanked by Jordanian Foreign Minister Naser Judeh. Jordan has custody over the sites.

He spoke after an unusual, nearly three-hour meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi joined in over the phone and promised to encourage resumption of collapsed Palestinian-Israeli talks, Kerry added.

Kerry met earlier in the day with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. But Abbas did not attend the three-way meeting with Netanyahu, a sign of deep distrust between Israel and the Palestinians.