Speaking ahead of a meeting with Jordan's foreign minister in Paris, Kerry told reporters: "That is not just a terrorist act and an ... Atrocity, but it only makes matters worse. It only raises tensions."
"We urge everybody to try to step back and find a way to create enough calm and enough space to be able to negotiate these difficult issues," he added.
Earlier today, a Palestinian slammed his car into pedestrians in Jerusalem, killing a border policeman and wounding nine other people in the second such attack in recent weeks.
The rampage followed violent clashes at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound earlier in the day involving police and stone-throwers.
The Jordanian minister, Nasser Judeh, said: "The only way that we can prevent these unilateral measures from continuing to take place is to have a comprehensive settlement to the Arab-Israel conflict.