Meanwhile, Kerry urges to end the violence, saying per the Wall Street Journal, “It is absolutely critical to end all incitement and all violence and find a road forward to build a possibility, that is not there today, for a larger process”.
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A day earlier, Netanyahu drew widespread criticism for a speech in which he suggested that Nazi Germany’s “Final Solution” to kill all Jews had been the idea of a Palestinian – Haj Amin al-Husseini, a former grand mufti of Jerusalem – rather than Adolf Hitler.
He’s also calling for the Security Council to take direct action to get Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to negotiations.
While the Obama administration has since slightly moderated its tone towards Israel, Mr Netanyahu is hoping that the meeting with Mr Kerry will yield a clear affirmation from the Americans that Israel is not attempting to change the “status quo” on Temple Mount and join it in opposing a French proposal to station global observers there. “All of that is false”.
The Israeli leader had entered talks with Kerry in an unyielding mode, accusing Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of inciting the wave of attacks.
“If parties want to try – and I believe they do want to move to a de-escalation – I think there are sets of choices that are available”, he said, expressing hope that “we can seize this moment and pull back from the precipice”. “I want to thank you and the United States for condemning the terrorist attacks against Israel, for standing up for Israel’s right of self defense and also for standing up with UNESCO; that is greatly appreciated”.
For his part, the secretary general briefed the King on the outcome of his tour of Palestine and Israel, stressing the important Jordanian role and the Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem’s holy sites, the statement added.
Israel’s military on Friday said Israeli troops shot a Palestinian after he stabbed a soldier near the Jewish settlement of Gush Etzion south of Jerusalem.
The “status quo” refers to prayer arrangements at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount – the holiest site in Judaism and the location of Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple – where Muslims are allowed to pray, but Jews and Christians may only visit but not pray. The site houses two Islamic landmarks – the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque. Forty-nine Palestinians, including 25 assailants, among them children, have been killed in attacks and during anti-Israeli protests. Netanyahu insists that his government has no intention of altering the status quo, but rumors of such a plan have been inspired by an increase in the number of Jews visiting the site (some of whom have violated the ban on prayer) and by the agitation of a few Israeli politicians for scrapping the status quo.
An Israeli soldier has killed a Jewish Israeli civilian in Jerusalem after each confronted the other thinking they were an Arab attacker, reports say.
“I can announce here that tomorrow in Vienna we will have a Quartet principals meeting”, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin.
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Expectations surrounding another planned meeting between Mr Kerry and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were equally low. Forty-eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including 27 labeled by Israel as attackers and the rest in clashes.
