BICOM

US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday and is expected to present a framework for resolving core issues to both Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Kerry’s efforts led to the resumption of peace talks in July and although Israeli and Palestinian delegations have met on numerous occasions since then, no significant breakthrough has been made. In an attempt to achieve progress, Kerry will meet with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss a framework that will serve as a guideline for addressing all core issues, US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said yesterday. The core issues in question include the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, security arrangements, refugees and the status of Jerusalem.

Harf said, “It’s only a proposed framework at this point,” but that “It makes sense to put some guidelines around the discussions of each of the final-status issues to drive the process forward.” She said that the proposal is aimed at bridging differences on the core issues and “Hopefully, we’ll continue narrowing the gaps and get a framework soon.”

Kerry’s visit will come in the aftermath of Israel’s release late last night of a third group of Palestinian prisoners, a confidence building measure which helped pave the way for peace talks to resume. However, it is expected that Israel will announce planning and tenders for 1400 new West Bank homes in existing settlements, in an apparent attempt to assuage right-wing criticism over the prisoner release. Harf commented yesterday, “We’ve made it very clear throughout this process what our position is on settlements.”

Speaking at a financial conference yesterday, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads Israel’s negotiating team said “settlements are damaging to security,” explaining that construction opposed by much of the world undermines Israel’s very real security concerns. At the same conference, Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon warned that a future Palestinian state may fall apart and “will collapse on us.”