Thursday, January 2, 2014

Kerry Is in Israel Seeking Peace with Palestinians; Netanyahu:Israelis Doubt Palestinians Want Peace

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry today (January 2, 2014) that doubts about the Palestinians' commitment to peace are mounting in Israel, the Newsmax World website reports.

"There is growing doubt in Israel that the Palestinians are committed to peace," Netanyahu said, with Kerry at his side, at the start of their talks in Jerusalem.

Kerry arrived in Israel today in his latest bid to re-energize peace negotiations and find scarce common ground between pessimistic Israeli and Palestinian officials. But on the the question of borders, security, refugees, and the status of Jerusalem, leaders from both sides have sounded far apart this week.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin today rejected the creation of a Palestinian state based on the lines pre-dating the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israel captured and continues to occupy Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. "The Jordan Valley must be under Israeli sovereignty forever," he said, referring to the border area with Jordan, from which Palestinians want a full Israeli withdrawal.

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