Kerry, Abbas meet in Amman in latest push to restore calm

AMMAN, Jordan — US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Jordan renewing his push to ease violence and tension between Israel and the Palestinians.

Kerry was meeting Saturday in Amman with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. They are exploring ideas, first raised during a Thursday meeting in Berlin between Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on how to defuse the situation.

Both Kerry and Abbas expressed hope that a solution could be found in brief comments to reporters as they began their meeting.

“All the time we had the hope,” Abbas said. “We did not lose the hope.”

Kerry added: “I am hopeful.”

After seeing Abbas, Kerry met the Jordanian monarch. Neither spoke to reporters as they began their talks.

Kerry, his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon — members of the Middle East peacemaking Quartet — appealed for “maximum restraint” after talks on Friday in Vienna.

Over the past five weeks, 10 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks and over 50 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire, including at least 28 attackers.

After meeting Netanyahu, Kerry said he was cautiously optimistic about calming the situation. Kerry has said he would like to see clarity in the rules governing access to the Temple Mount, at the center of the tensions.

Under the terms of an agreement in place since 1967 — the so-called status quo — Jews are allowed to visit but not pray there.

The site is managed by an Islamic foundation under the auspices of Jordan but Israel controls access.

Palestinians have claimed in recent weeks that Israel is changing the status quo, a charge Jerusalem vehemently denies.

Kerry will later Saturday fly to Saudi Arabia for talks with Saudi King Salman.