Ban in diplomatic effort to calm Israeli-Palestinian violence

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was due to begin a snap visit on Tuesday to try to stem Israeli-Palestinian violence as Israel issued fresh assurances addressing Muslim fears of Jewish encroachment at a mosque compound at the centre of the conflict.

Israeli officials said Ban, whose trip was announced in Israel only hours before his expected arrival, would meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day in Jerusalem.

The U.N. chief will see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday, Palestinian officials said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is to hold talks with Netanyahu in Germany during the prime minister's visit there on Wednesday and Thursday, has said Israeli and Palestinian leaders need to clarify the status of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound to held stem the bloodshed.

Kerry planned to meet Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah, likely in Amman, later in the week.