John Kerry Seeks to Calm Palestinian-Israeli Tensions, to Travel Soon

File photo of US Secretary of State John Kerry. (AFP)

BOSTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday he was working on calming violence between Palestinians and Israelis, and will travel to the region soon to try to move the situation "away from this precipice."

"I will go there soon, at some point appropriately, and try to work to reengage and see if we can't move that away from this precipice," Kerry told an audience at an event sponsored by Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

His remarks came as Israel and the Palestinian territories are experiencing some of the worst unrest they have seen in years, with at least three people killed in attacks in Jerusalem and near Tel Aviv on Tuesday on a "Day of Rage" declared by Palestinian groups.

Kerry said the United States' goal for the region, the two-state solution "could conceivably be stolen from everybody" if violence in the region were to spiral out of control.

"You have this violence because there's a frustration that is growing and a frustration among Israelis who don't see any movement," Kerry said. "We have another 16 months in this administration and I can assure you that we're going stay engaged and work thorough these issues, because there are options."

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Story First Published: October 14, 2015 05:07 IST