UN chief reiterates call to preserve status quo in Jerusalem

ANKARA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday reiterated his call to preserve and respect the status quo in the holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.

Guterres spoke over phone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and "discussed the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly at the holy sites in Jerusalem, and efforts to lower tensions,” his spokesperson Eri Kaneko said in a statement.

"They reaffirmed their commitment to the achievement of the two-state solution based on relevant United Nations resolutions, international law, and prior agreements and the importance to restoring a political horizon," Kaneko added.

Tensions have been running high across the Palestinian territories since the beginning of April amid repeated Israeli arrest campaigns in the occupied West Bank and daily settler incursions into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar