20-04-2024 01:52 AM Jerusalem Timing

Kerry Arrives in al-Quds for Talks, Criticizes Palestinian Operations

Kerry Arrives in al-Quds for Talks, Criticizes Palestinian Operations

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Jerusalem Tuesday for talks with Zionist and Palestinian Leaders in a bid to ease the latest escalation.

US Secretary of State John KerryUS Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Jerusalem Tuesday for talks with Zionist and Palestinian Leaders in a bid to ease the latest escalation.

Kerry held talks with Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin while in Jerusalem. Later, he is scheduled to meet separately with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

US official condemned a wave of Palestinian attacks as he met Netanyahu in his latest bid to ease nearly two months of violence.

Arriving with scant hopes for a major breakthrough, Kerry said he would discuss with Netanyahu and later Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah ways of calming tensions.

"Clearly, no people anywhere should live with daily violence, with attacks in the streets, with knives, with scissors, cars," Kerry told reporters at Netanyahu's office ahead of talks with the Zionist PM.

"And it is very clear to us that terrorism, these acts of terrorism, deserve the condemnation that they are receiving and today I express my complete condemnation for any act of terror that takes innocent lives."

After meeting Netanyahu, Kerry will hold talks with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin while in Jerusalem, then separately with Abbas.

His visit comes after nearly two months of brutal violence that has left 92 Palestinians martyred, as well as 17 Zionists killed, and sparked fears among occupation authorities of a new Palestinian uprising.

More than half of the Palestinians killed were shot during demonstrations and clashes with the Zionist security forces, including along the Gaza border.

Palestinians blame security escalations to the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound - Islam's third most-holy site - as the spark for the bloodshed.