JERUSALEM — Dozens of Palestinians set fire at dawn on Friday to a holy site known as Joseph’s Tomb, in the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Nablus in the West Bank, damaging the tiny stone compound that many Jews believe is the burial place of the son of the biblical patriarch Jacob.

The fire punctuated another day of anti-Israel protests by Palestinians in parts of the occupied West Bank and in Gaza that left at least four dead and dozens injured.

The violence drew the increasing concern of the United States, with President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry calling for restraint on both sides but also defending Israel’s right to protect its citizens.

Mr. Kerry spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, the State Department said. It also said Mr. Kerry would probably meet with Mr. Netanyahu in Europe in the coming days. The date and location have not been set.