The UN's special Mideast coordinator, Robert Serry, went to the Al-Aqsa compound on Thursday as a guest of the Waqf, in a visit facilitated by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, his office said.

"[UN] Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has been very concerned at the recent clashes in Jerusalem, and I have been in contact with all sides in an effort to defuse tensions," he said in a statement that followed his visit.

Serry added, "This holy city is important to both Israelis and Palestinians, and to people of three great faiths. Incitement from any quarter regarding holy sites, as well as provocative actions in East Jerusalem, do not serve the sanctity of the city or the cause of peace, and must stop."

"From my visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and my contacts, it is clear that the situation is not yet resolved, but tensions have eased somewhat," the UN envoy noted. "All I have spoken to have assured me of their desire to see calm restored, and I trust that we will see immediate practical steps of de-escalation on the ground and messages of calm and responsibility in public statements."

"We cannot allow a further outbreak of violence or let extremists set the agenda," he said.

"We need an end to incitement from any quarter, as well as a cessation of provocative actions on the ground," he said. The way forward is for the parties to implement their Roadmap commitments and resume final status negotiations on the basis of the 1967 lines on all core issues – including Jerusalem – in the framework of UN Security Council resolutions and previous agreements."

"Only this offers a route to lasting peace for both peoples and this holy city," Serry concluded.

The UN envoy subsequently conveyed his assessment of the situation to President Mahmoud Abbas, PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and to Israel's deputy foreign minister in a meeting the same afternoon. Serry has also met senior Jordanian officials in Amman and had contact with a wide range of international diplomatic representatives in Jerusalem.