US urges "good faith" effort to resolve Temple Mount row
The White House is urging Israel and Jordan to help reduce tension on the Temple Mount, the center of a dispute with Palestinians over access to a religious site in annexed east Jerusalem.
The United States "is very concerned about tensions surrounding the Temple Mount/Haram Al-Sharif, a site holy to Jews, Muslims, and Christians," the White House said in a statement late Wednesday.
It "calls upon the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to make a good faith effort to reduce tensions and to find a solution that assures public safety and the security of the site and maintains the status quo."
The brief statement added that the United States "will continue to closely monitor the developments."
Muslims have been boycotting the holy site after Israeli authorities installed metal detectors and cameras at entrances to the sensitive compound following an attack Friday that killed two policemen.
Protests and scuffles between demonstrators and Israeli police have erupted outside the site, which includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque.
Israel closed the site for two days following the attack, angering Muslims and Jordan, the site's custodian.
The attack and new security measures have increased Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
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