Top diplomats from the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations were set Friday to hold talks on the violence gripping Israel and the Palestinian territories, dpa reported. US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will take part in a meeting of the Middle East Quartet in Vienna, expected to be held at 4:30 pm (1430 GMT) following talks on the Syrian crisis. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will "most likely" join the Quartet discussions via video conference or be represented by Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, Mogherini said on Thursday.