US calls for calm between Israelis and Palestinians as Abbas and Blinken speak

Palestinian president and American secretary of state discuss importance of working to maintain calm

Israeli flags are carried during the right-wing 'flag march' next to the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City. EPA

A drone carrying a Palestinian flag flies over the walls of Jerusalem's Old City during the flag march. EPA

Marchers carry Israeli flags. EPA

Palestinians throw stones at Israeli forces during protests over Jerusalem's annual flag march, in the West Bank city of Hebron. EPA

A Palestinian waves his national flag outside Jerusalem's Old City as Israelis mark Jerusalem Day, which celebrates the capture of the Old City during the 1967 war. AP

Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian protester in Jerusalem during the flag march. EPA

Medics carry an injured person to an ambulance amid confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces. Reuters

Israeli border police detain a Palestinian man during the confrontations in Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters

Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital but Palestinians, who seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, consider the annual flag march provocative. Getty

A Palestinian protester flashes the victory sign at Israelis lifting national flags at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. AFP

A tense Jerusalem was braced for Israel's flag march as Palestinian groups threatened retaliation over the annual rally. AFP

A Jewish youth uses pepper spray on Palestinians as violence flares in Jerusalem. Getty

Palestinian and Jewish youths fight in Jerusalem's Old City. AP

Israelis carry national flags in the Old City. Reuters

Large numbers of Israeli police were on hand in the Old city of Jerusalem, as the threat of violence lingered. EPA

Palestinian protesters carry a woman hit by tear gas as chaos broke out. AFP

A Palestinian protester remains defiant. AFP

Palestinian and Jewish youths fight at Damascus Gate. AP

Israelis wave flags and chant outside Damascus Gate. Reuters

Armed border policeman look to quell the violence. Reuters

A tug of war ensues over a Palestinian flag. Reuters

Last year, the flag parade led to an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza militants. AFP

Israel flags are paraded through Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters

Israeli police remove Palestinians from the stairs near the Damascus Gate leading to Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters

At Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinians wave flags during a protest over the tension in Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque complex. Reuters

Members of Israeli security forces clear people from Damascus Gate as Israelis mark Jerusalem Day. AFP

Members of Israeli youth movements dance and wave flags. AP

An Israeli national flag at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. AFP

The US is calling for a de-escalation of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians after the storming of Al Aqsa mosque courtyard in East Jerusalem.

Palestinian President Mahmood Abbas discussed the matter in a call to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken late on Tuesday.

The pair spoke about the “importance of Israelis and Palestinians working to maintain calm and de-escalate tensions”, according to a statement by the US State Department.

At the weekend, thousands of Israelis rallied for their annual national flag march, with some chanting “death to Arabs”.

The event regularly stokes Palestinian anger, with last year's tensions in the disputed city leading to war.

The rally resulted in the injury of at least 79 Palestinians, according to the Red Crescent, prompting condemnation from across the Arab region and the UN.

“The secretary emphasised the importance of the US-Palestinian relationship, and the administration’s support for a negotiated two-state solution,” state department spokesman Ned Price said about the call between Mr Abbas and Mr Blinken.

“Secretary Blinken underscored the importance of concluding the investigations into the death of Palestinian-American Shireen Abu Akleh,” Mr Price said.

The prominent Al Jazeera reporter Abu Akleh was shot dead on May 11 during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank.

Washington has previously told Israeli and Palestinian authorities it expects “the investigations to be transparent and impartial, a full, thorough accounting into the circumstances of the killing”.

“We do expect full accountability for those responsible for her killing. Again, we are not going to prejudge that investigation. Both investigations are ongoing,” Mr Price said last month.

The official said the US had pressed both sides for full accountability and are not expected to be updated on the status of the investigation.

Mr Price said US President Joe Biden's administration is committed to reopening a US consulate in Jerusalem. The US will discuss the issue with Israelis and Palestinians, he said.

Former US president Donald Trump moved Washington's Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018 and shut down a separate facility in Jerusalem that served as a consulate for Palestinians.