Washington – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet next week with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the region to try to stop ongoing violence, although senior U.S. official insisted it was not a renewed effort to broker a peace accord.
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The State Department said Kerry will travel to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ramallah on a trip that will also include a stop in the United Arab Emirates to discuss the Syrian conflict.
Kerry last met with Netanyahu in Berlin in October to try to end a spate of bloodshed and stop what Washington regarded as provocative statements by Israeli and Palestinian leaders over the management of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque.
With the latest visit, Kerry hopes to move things in a “more positive direction” and prevent the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, the official said. The talks will explore a “variety of ideas” on how to ease tensions, the official said without elaborating.
The official said violence had abated somewhat over the course of a few weeks but picked up again in recent days, with the killing of five people in attacks in Tel Aviv and in the occupied West Bank. An American was among the dead.
The official said it was not Kerry’s intention to try to urge the sides to resume peace talks on a two-state solution.
“There is no agreement to be reached between the parties now,” the official said, adding: “There is nothing we’re trying to get them to agree to, we’re trying to encourage both of them to do the kind of things that will be helpful and in their interest and our interest in preserving stability.”
Kerry will urge the leaders to take concrete steps to restore calm, the official said. “We want to see bigger changes on the ground to stabilize the situation in a more sustainable way,” he said.
This week, Washington criticized Netanyahu’s decision to approve the marketing of land for the construction of 454 homes in two East Jerusalem settlements which previously had been shelved.
Among the causes of the turmoil is Palestinians’ anger at what they see as Jewish encroachment on the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, Islam’s holiest site outside Saudi Arabia, which is also revered by Jews as the location of two ancient temples.
Eighteen Israelis have been killed in Palestinian stabbings, shootings and vehicle attacks since the start of October. Eighty Palestinians have been killed in attacks and during anti-Israeli protests.
And just wait and see, that Bibi will ‘unfreeze’ terrorist, just in the midst of reaching a peace proposal. And, then he and his Zionists cohorts ‘wonder’ what is the catalyst that brings upon chaos and mayhem.
And will probably spew euphemism on Kerry. That just their beautiful tendency.
Kerry is guilty of stating there is moral equivalence between terrorists and defense. No one with a conscience can utter such stupidity. The fact that he even makes statements about Israel needing to agree to anything is indication that he is part of the enemy. May he get the full brunt of whatever punishments HKB”H has slated for the enemies of Am Yisroel.
obama and kerry have to realize that the palestinians don’t want peace at all they are just playing games with america trying to gain a position for territory that they cant run. They need israel for their electric and water.they use the banking system in israel and the hospitals.
OH yeah, I’m sure this useless Obama puppet has some novel ideas that haven’t been thought of yet….duh.
I hope the well meaning Israel mediators won’t frustrate the peace overtures, by succumbing to their past tendencies.
Kerry must allow Israel to clean out the hot bed areas of Hebron, and East Jerusalem, by first declaring it a closed military zone, then barring all media including CNN, and journalists from these areas, then shutting down at the same time all social media including Facebook and texting, then send in hundred of the elite troops to weed out the leaders who are inciting the violence, and execute the death sentence, and send these preachers direct to paradise, to fulfill the dream, they preach to others, to die as martyrs since death is life, with a bonus of 72 virgins in heaven. It’s a win win, since hamas and hizbollah, will support their families, so they have the best of both worlds! All Kerry has to do is to allow hasten the process of eternal life to the facilitators and preachers of the peace loving Quran. If Israel needs assistance on the methods, let them consult with Xi Jinping of China and he will walk them through step by step, and explain how they neutralize all potential terrorists in the Muslim province of Urumqi, in order to safeguard to social order and stability, so that the general population is safe and secure.