UN chief urges calm amid PalestinianIsraeli violence

JERUSALEM (AP) – UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon called for calm during a surprise visit to Jerusalem on Tuesday ahead of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, in a high-profile gambit to bring an end to a month-long wave of violence.

The visit comes amid unrest that erupted a month ago over tensions surrounding Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site sacred to Jews and Muslims. A spate of almost daily Palestinian attacks against civilians and soldiers, most of which have involved stabbings, has caused panic across Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of bloodshed.

“These are difficult times for Israelis and Palestinians. I am here in the hope that we can work together to end the violence, ease the tensions and begin to restore a long term political horizon of peace,” Ban said at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday night.

“We need to keep the situation from escalation into a religious conflict, with potential regional implications,” he added.

Over the past month, 10 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. In that time, 46 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 25 identified by Israel as attackers, and the rest in clashes with Israeli troops.

Netanyahu said Tuesday night that the violence has been caused largely by incitement from Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas.

The initial outbreak of Palestinian attacks was fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. Unrest began about a month ago, when Palestinians repeatedly barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, hurling stones, firebombs and fireworks at police.

The hilltop compound in Jerusalem’s Old City is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. It is the holiest site in Judaism.

Known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the gold-topped Dome of the Rock. It is the third-holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said the “The UN Security Council should adopt a decision that would set the principles for establishing a state with east Jerusalem as its capital and providing international protection for the Palestinian people.”

In New York, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is visiting to determine if Israeli and Palestinian leaders are willing to revive negotiations on a twostate solution.

In Washington, Secretary of State John Kerry said he will be meeting soon with Netanyahu and separately with Abbas as well as King Abdullah of Jordan.