Secretary of State John Kerry with Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni.
Israeli Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni and Israeli lawyer and chief negotiator in the Israeli negotiating team with the Palestinians on behalf of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Yitzhak Molcho met with United States Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday to discuss the details of the framework that the U.S. wants Israel and the Palestinians to display within the next few weeks. The meeting also served to prepare for the upcoming meeting between Kerry and Netanyahu set for Thursday or Friday during the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
Palestinian negotiators are due to arrive in Washington next week for their own talks with Kerry on the draft framework agreement. Only after meeting with both sides will Kerry decide whether it is possible to reconcile and if another visit to the region would be required.
There are still many gaps that exist between the Israelis and the Palestinians that need to be worked out. In addition, tensions have sharpened between the U.S. and Israel in the past week due to Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s offensive comments calling Kerry “messianic and obsessive.” Israeli right activists have also voiced their disapproval of Kerry’s plans, especially regarding talk of transferring settlers living in the Jordan Valley. In a conference held on Sunday, Head of the Shomron Regional Council Gershon Mesika called for the united action by all relevant groups in the West Bank to combat the evictions included in the proposed peace deals.
Palestinians have also shown their discontent over Kerry’s peace proposals. Anti-Kerry demonstrations have become commonplace in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Members of the Palestinian Authority and officials representing various organizations have denounced Kerry on a regular basis over the past few weeks. Tayseer Khaled, member of the PLO Executive Committee, was recently quoted accusing Kerry of trying to extort the Palestinians politically.
At this point, it is unforeseeable whether or not Kerry will achieve a peace agreement. In a long interview with the New Yorker magazine released on Sunday, U.S. President Barak Obama said he believes there is less than a 50 percent chance that his administration’s efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will end in success. Not great odd’s for Kerry, as far more difficult steps lie ahead to reach a deal that is acceptable to both sides. However, the beat goes on and hopefully for good measure.
