Kerry voices ‘measure of optimism’ after talks with Israel’s Netanyahu

Reporting from Jerusalem —  Secretary of State John F. Kerry emerged from a four-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday with a “cautious measure of optimism” that a way can be found to defuse a wave of violence in Israel and parts of the Palestinian territories.

A number of proposals were suggested‎ during the talks in Berlin, including steps that Israel could take to reaffirm its commitment to maintaining the status quo at a Jerusalem holy site that is sacred to both Muslims and Jews, the State Department said in a statement.

Kerry plans to discuss the proposals with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Saturday.

Fears among Muslims that Israel intends to make changes at the hilltop plateau, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, have helped fuel a rash of stabbings and other attacks in recent weeks.

Ten Israelis and nearly 50 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing violence. They include about 25 Palestinians labeled by Israel as attackers and others killed in clashes with the Israeli security forces.

Heading into Thursday’s meeting, Netanyahu urged other countries to tell Abbas to “stop spreading lies” about Israel’s plans for the site in Jerusalem’s Old City, where Jews are permitted to visit but not pray. “To stop terrorism, we have to stop the incitement,” he said.

Netanyahu has also been accused of intemperate remarks, including a claim this week that a Palestinian cleric inspired the Holocaust.

“It is absolutely critical to end all incitement and all violence and find a road forward,” Kerry said.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis began with a visit to the region this week by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The international group known as the Mideast Quartet, which has been attempting to restart peace talks, is scheduled to meet Friday.

Meanwhile, the violence continued.

A Jewish Israeli man was shot and killed in Jerusalem late Wednesday during an altercation with soldiers who thought he might be a Palestinian attacker, a sign of the tension gripping the city.

Police said the man confronted the soldiers as they tried to board a bus and asked to see their identification documents. They in turn demanded to see his ID, and a scuffle broke out.

According to the police, the man apparently tried to try to grab one of the soldiers’ guns and shouted, “I am Daesh!” -- the Arabic acronym for the extremist group Islamic State. A nearby security guard fired at the man; then the soldiers opened fire, police said.

There have been similar incidents before. An Eritrean asylum seeker was also shot by a security guard and beaten by bystanders after being mistaken for an attacker during a shooting at a bus station Sunday. He too died of his injuries.

The incidents have prompted soul-searching in Jerusalem, where troops deployed to bolster security and residents who are licensed to carry weapons have been urged to do so.

“Everyone’s nerves are very tense, and when the pressure and adrenaline are so high, there is concern of an easy trigger finger,” opposition lawmaker Mickey Levy, a former Jerusalem police commander, told Israeli television. “I am very much concerned about this.”

There were also reports Thursday of another stabbing at a bus stop. The attack, which injured an Israeli man, happened when bystanders prevented two Palestinian men from boarding a school bus in Beit Shemesh, police said. Police shot the two Palestinians, killing one and injuring the other. One was a member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, police said.

Special correspondent Sobelman reported from Jerusalem and Times staff writer Zavis from Los Angeles.

For more international news, follow @alexzavis on Twitter

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