US opposition blocks UN Security Council statement on Jerusalem violence

Notwithstanding initial opposition from the United States, diplomats said late Monday that most UN Security Council member states were set to issue a statement about the ongoing clashes between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem.
The 15-nation Security Council met virtually behind closed doors on Monday as violence ignited at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
UN Security Council members met to address a draft statement proposed by Tunisia and Norway and supported by China.
According to the AFP citing one diplomat, the U.S said in the closed-door videoconference that it was “working behind the scenes” to calm the situation and that it was “not sure that a statement at this point would help.
The draft Security Council statement, seen by AFP, would call on Israel to “cease settlement activities, demolitions and evictions” including in east Jerusalem.
In the draft statement, which is a step below a resolution, the Security Council members would voice “their grave concern regarding escalating tensions and violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” which Israel annexed and considers part of its capital.
The draft also calls for “exercise of restraint, refraining from provocative actions and rhetoric, and upholding and respecting the historic status quo at the holy sites.”