UNITED NATIONS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday expressed concern about the situation in the Old City of Jerusalem, which has been the scene of escalating violence in recent days between Israelis and Palestinians.
The secretary-general "deeply deplores the death of three Palestinians in clashes today (Friday) with the Israeli security forces and calls for these incidents to be fully investigated," said Guterres' spokesperson In a statement.
Guterres urged the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to refrain from actions that could further escalate the situation.
In the statement, Guterres also called all political, religious and community leaders to help reduce tension.
"The secretary-general reiterates that the sanctity of religious sites should be respected as places for reflection, not violence," said the statement.
Anger across East Jerusalem and the West Bank boiled after Israel limited Muslim access to the holy Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's walled Old City on Friday, allowing only women and men over 50 to enter.
Israeli officials said a knife-wielding Palestinian man killed three Israelis and seriously injured another at a West Bank settlement.
