John Kerry condemns Palestinian attacks as 'acts of terrorism'

Jerusalem: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday described a wave of Palestinian knife and car-ramming attacks as "acts of terrorism" that must be condemned as he held talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on how to end the violence.

The bloodshed has been fuelled by Muslim agitation over increased Jewish visits to East Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound - Islam's third holiest site and also revered by Jews as the location of two biblical-era temples.

The Palestinians are also frustrated by the failure of decades of peace talks to deliver them an independent state.

At the start of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kerry said they would discuss ways to work together to restore calm in the region.

With US-backed talks on a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territory frozen since early 2014, Netanyahu said there could be no peace while an "onslaught of terror" continued.