BEIJING/Ankara - China will host a symposium between Israel and the Palestinians later this year, an official said Tuesday, as president Xi Jinping vowed to "ceaselessly" contribute towards peace in the region.

Despite depending on the volatile Middle East for oil supplies, Beijing has long taken a backseat in its disputes. But China has stepped up its diplomatic engagement in the region in the past year, including offering to host talks on the Syrian conflict.

In a meeting with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday, Xi reaffirmed China's support of a two-state solution, with an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state, bounded by the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.

During closed door talks, Xi said China will set up a trilateral dialogue mechanism and later this year host a peace symposium to help resolve the dispute, vice minister of foreign affairs Zhang Ming told reporters.

Xi called the Palestinian people "true good friends, partners, and brothers" of China, stating his country would "unswervingly promote China-Palestine bilateral relations and ceaselessly move the Middle East peace process forward".

Abbas, on his fourth state visit to the country, said he "hoped to see China play a greater role in the Middle East peace process." He presented Xi with a golden medal of honour.

Meanwhile, Turkey has blasted Israel's two-day closure of a Jerusalem holy site, following a deadly attack, as a "crime against humanity."

The Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque. It is venerated by Muslims as the third holiest site in Islam, and by Jews as the most sacred site in Judaism.Israel closed the ultra-sensitive compound on Friday and Saturday after the attack .

"This decision is a crime against humanity, a crime committed against the freedom of religion. From the point of view of human rights, it's utterly unacceptable," Turkish government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus, who is also deputy prime minister, said. "It really is an unacceptable decision, and wounding to the highest degree," added Kurtulmus, who was speaking at a news conference in Ankara after a cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, Muslims boycotted a Jerusalem holy site for the third day running Tuesday after Israeli authorities installed metal detectors and cameras at entrances to the sensitive compound following an attack that killed two policemen.

As in previous days, dozens of worshippers prayed outside the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, rather than enter through the metal detectors.

The attack and new security measures have increased Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Protests and scuffles between demonstrators and Israeli police have erupted outside the site, which includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque.

On Tuesday, a 30-year-old Palestinian carried out a car-ramming attack in the occupied West Bank near the city of Hebron, lightly wounding two Israeli soldiers before being shot dead.

It was not clear if the attack was linked to the Jerusalem tensions.

A 17-year-old Palestinian who was injured Monday during clashes in the Silwan area of east Jerusalem was in critical condition, according to official Palestinian news agency WAFA, which said he had been shot.

Palestinian hospital Makased, where the 17-year-old was being treated, alleged in a statement Tuesday that Israeli forces had entered the hospital and were disrupting operations.

Israeli police said six arrests had been made overnight in two separate areas of Jerusalem.

Police say a number of Muslims have been entering the compound, though they did not provide a number on Tuesday. The compound has appeared largely empty.

Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah said “we refuse these dangerous measures that will lead to a ban on the freedom of worship and will obstruct the movement of the faithful”.

On Friday, three Arab Israelis opened fire on police before fleeing to the compound, where security forces shot them dead.

Israel closed the site for two days following the attack, angering Muslims and Jordan, the site’s custodian.

Israel said the closure was necessary to carry out security checks.

The site reopened on Sunday, but with metal detectors at entrances. Palestinians view the move as Israel asserting further control over the site.

The Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It stands in east Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.