Kerry holds trilateral meeting with Jordan and Israel leaders over Jerusalem tensions

AMMAN, Jordan, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Jordan Wednesday for a brief visit to discuss "the situation in Jerusalem -- including recent tensions at the holy sites there -- and on the fight against ISIL."

Kerry, who was expected to fly back to Washington from the APEC Summit in China, added a stop in Amman "given the events on the ground and the tensions on the ground in the region," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki explained.

On Thursday, Kerry met with Jordanian officials and visiting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A trilateral meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Netanyahu was held Thursday evening.

At the trilateral meeting, Kerry said the Jordanian king and Israeli prime minister "discussed specific actions both sides can take to restore calm." The secretary of state was reticent to disclose what those specific actions will be. "It's better that they be done quietly and practically," he said, adding, "I'm convinced it will be done."

Kerry also reported "a very productive meeting" with Abbas that included "real steps, not rhetoric that people can take to deescalate the situation and create a climate in which we can move forward constructively."

In the last month, Jerusalem has been the site of violent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis over access to the Temple Mount holy site, also known as Al Haram Al Sharif, and following two attacks by Palestinians who drove their vehicles into pedestrian crowds.

Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel on Nov. 5 "to protest against the unprecedented and escalated Israel aggressions at the Haram Al Sharif compound in occupied Jerusalem, and its repeated violations in the holy city."