UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged an end to spiralling violence as he met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday in a bid to calm three weeks of deadly unrest.

"We will continue to support all efforts to create the conditions to make meaningful negotiations possible," Ban told journalists after meeting Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. 

"But ultimately it is for Palestinians and Israelis to choose peace. Our most urgent challenge is to stop the current wave of violence and avoid any further loss of life."