John Kerry visit Netanyahu who doubts Palestinians are ‘committed to peace’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t sound optimistic Thursday as Secretary of State John Kerry began his 10th visit to the region in pursuit of a deal between the Palestinians and Israel.
“There is growing doubt in Israel that the Palestinians are committed to peace,” said Netanyahu, speaking with Kerry at his side and accusing Palestinian officials of orchestrating a campaign of “rampant” incitement against Israel.
Netanyahu specifically criticized Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the heroes’ welcome he gave a group of Palestinian prisoners, most convicted of murdering Israelis, who were released from Israeli jails on Tuesday.
“To glorify the murderers of innocent women and men as heroes is an outrage,” he said.
The prisoner release was arranged as part of last year’s U.S.-brokered package to revive peace talks.
In the days before Kerry’s latest trip to Jerusalem, Palestinian leaders have likewise accused Israel of trying to sabotage the talks aimed at ending their decades-old conflict.
Kerry focused his remarks on a continued U.S. push toward a final peace agreement beginning with borders for a Palestinian state.
“It would create the fixed, defined parameters by which the parties would then know where they are going and what the end result can be,” he said. “This will take time and it will take compromise from both sides, but an agreed framework would be a significant breakthrough.”
“The Jordan Valley must be under Israeli sovereignty forever,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin said, referring to the border area with Jordan, from which Palestinians want a full Israeli withdrawal.
“The 1967 borders are Auschwitz borders,” Ha’aretz newspaper quoted him as saying, suggesting that a return to the narrower boundaries that existed before the conflict would lead to the destruction of Israel.