Kerry to visit Jordan for talks on Jerusalem crisis

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Jordan on Wednesday for discussions with King Abdullah about tensions in Jerusalem, the State Department, according to Reuters news agency.

During his visit, Kerry will also discuss the fight against militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he will be meeting with Kerry in the Jordanian capital on Thursday, according to Agence France-Presse.

The meeting with Secretary of State will take place at 1 pm (1100 GMT), Nabil Abu Rudeina said.

Both mean are due to discuss the upsurge in violence in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Kerry will go on to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday to participate in the Sir Bani Yas Forum, an annual private gathering of world leaders focused on international security, a department statement said.

His tour in the Middle East follows the Asia-Pacific summit that was held in Beijing.

He was in Oman earlier this week for two days of talks on the Iranian nuclear dispute with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union envoy Catherine Ashton.

Jordan recalled its ambassador from Israel on Nov. 5, the first time it has taken such action since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1994, denouncing what Amman called “violations” at the al-Aqsa mosque.

Tensions over the compound, the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest place in Judaism, have fuelled repeated clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians in recent weeks, culminating in a one-day closure of the mosque last month.

[With Reuters and AFP]