News:Secretary Kerry’s Meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas

The following is attributable to Spokesperson John Kirby:

Secretary Kerry met in Amman today with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The Secretary and President Abbas discussed ongoing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.

The Secretary continued to urge for calm and a decrease in violence, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric. He stressed the commitment of the United States to seeking a sustainable two-state solution and to working with all parties to that end. He also reiterated our policy on the illegitimacy of Israeli settlements.

Finally, the Secretary reviewed with President Abbas the progress achieved in Geneva this week by the ISSG and the UN, in particular the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the development of draft modalities for a cessation of hostilities in Syria.