BICOM

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that progress was made in weekend talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Kerry then visited Saudi Arabia to enlist support for his framework for final status talks.

Kerry met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Friday, before travelling to Ramallah for two sets of meetings with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. Kerry returned to Jerusalem to meet again with Netanyahu on Saturday night. Yesterday morning, Kerry spoke of “a productive couple of days with very, very intensive talks.”

Although he did not reveal the substance of the weekend discussions or details of the proposed framework for final status talks which he is thought to have presented to both sides, Kerry commented on Saturday night “we are making progress” but emphasised that “this is hard work” and “we are beginning to flesh out the toughest hurdles yet to be overcome.”

Yesterday, Kerry travelled to Saudi Arabia to meet King Abdullah, where he appeared to receive wider Arab League support for his framework plan. Kerry commented after the meeting, “I am grateful that the Arab League as a whole and Saudi Arabia individually will be significantly involved in helping build support for this effort.”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman surprised many yesterday by applauding Kerry’s determination, saying “We cannot ignore the magnitude of his efforts.” Lieberman, who met Kerry on Friday, said that Kerry’s plan was far preferable to “other proposals from the international community” which “would be worse for us.” However, he adamantly ruled out the right of return for Palestinian refugees to Israel and specified that a final deal would have to include land swaps, potentially uprooting people from their homes.

Meanwhile, opposition leader and Labour Party head Isaac Herzog yesterday challenged Prime Minister Netanyahu to strike a peace deal. Herzog told a party conference that Netanyahu “has no shortage of hands in the Knesset” to support a peace agreement, “The question is whether he has a spine.”