Kerry in Amman to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry begins a new push on Thursday, June 27, to revive peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but there are few signs he will make a breakthrough on his fifth visit to the region, according to Reuters.

Over the next three days, Kerry will shuffle between meetings with Jordan's King Abdullah and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

His arrival in Amman late on Wednesday was greeted with news that Israel had authorized construction of 69 housing units in a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.

"Obviously steps like this are unhelpful, but we remain hopeful that both parties will recognize the opportunity and the necessity to go back to the table," the State Department said.

Kerry has revealed few details of his strategy to bring the sides together. Negotiations broke down in late 2010 in a dispute over Israeli building of Jewish settlements on occupied West Bank land that the Palestinians want for a state.

"Time is the enemy of a peace process," he said during a visit to Kuwait on Wednesday. "The passage of time allows a vacuum to be filled by people who don't want things to happen."

Kerry acknowledges that resuscitating talks will be difficult, but also believes that with the upcoming UN meeting, now is the time to flesh out a peace plan.

"I wouldn't be here now if I didn't have a belief that this is possible, but this is difficult," he said in Kuwait, his fourth stop in an eight-nation tour that until now has focused on Syria's civil war.

Kerry denied Israeli news reports he was working to bring the Israeli and Palestinian leaders together in Amman this week.