MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) – US Secretary of State John Kerry will discuss clashes in Jerusalem and the efforts to combat Islamic State jihadist group, also known as ISIL, with the King of Jordan Abdullah II, the US State Department said Wednesday.
“On November 12-13, Secretary Kerry will travel to Jordan for discussions with King Abdullah II on the situation in Jerusalem — including recent tensions at the holy sites there — and on the fight against ISIL,” said the statement published on the US State Department website.
On November 14, Kerry will travel to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the Sir Bani Yas, an annual gathering of world leaders to discuss peace and security in the region.
In the past two weeks there have been three attacks on Jews in Jerusalem that have been qualified as acts of terror. Tensions between Arabs and Jews have grown after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to construct new housing units in East Jerusalem. On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a de-escalation of the situation.
The global community is also concerned with the Islamic State (IS) threat. The IS has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the extremist group expanded its attacks to northern and western Iraq. A US-led international coalition is currently carrying out airstrikes on IS targets in Syria and Iraq.
