Opposition leader MK Yitzhak Herzog on Tuesday evening met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is visiting Israel in an attempt to calm tensions.

During the meeting, Herzog told the UN chief that the world cannot be silent in the face of the terrorist attacks against Israelis.

“Silence or moderate reactions of the world could be interpreted as support for terror. It should be made clear to the Palestinians that the road of terrorism leads to a dangerous deadlock,” said Herzog.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ban met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who once again rejected accusations by the Palestinian Authority that Israel is seeking to change the “status quo” on the Temple Mount.

On the contrary, the prime minister accused the PA and Islamist groups of themselves attempting to breach the current arrangements, by trying to force an end to all Jewish visits to the Mount, which is the holiest site in Judaism.

Netanyahu also accused PA leader Mahmoud Abbas of “fanning the flames,” citing recent comments by Abbas in which he said he “welcomes every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem.”

“President Abbas has not condemned a single one of the 30 terrorist attacks on Israelis over the last month, and he continues to glorify terrorists as heroes.”

Rejecting accusations by some that Israel was using “excessive force” in stopping terrorist attackers, and in dealing with violent riots, Netanyahu insisted: “In the face of this terrorism Israel is acting as any democracy would to defend its citizens. We are not… using excessive force.”

The Israeli prime minister also called on the international community to back Israel as it acts to protect itself, and to “hold President Abbas accountable for his dangerous words.”