By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
AMMAN, Jordan – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made his sixth trip to the Middle East yesterday in order to resume peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Since taking office on February 1st, Kerry has made it his mission to negotiate peace in the Middle East.
It has been unofficially reported that countries represented at the peace negotiating meeting include Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Kerry met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday and today planned to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Jen Psaki, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman, said that Kerry scheduled the meetings to “provide an update on Middle East peace” and that “the Secretary would not be going back to the region if he did not feel there was an opportunity to keep making steps forward.”
Kerry has repeatedly stated that a point is nearing where Israeli and Palestinian officials will need “to make hard decisions about jump-starting the moribund peace talks.” The necessity of such a meeting is pressing as the United Nations General Assembly will address Palestinian statehood issues in September.
In June, Kerry spent nearly four days involved in extensive diplomacy working to end a three-year impasse between Israel and Palestine stating, “with a little more work, the start of final status negotiations could be within reach.”
Two advisers, Frank Lowenstein and Jonathan Schwartz, have been in the Middle East for the past couple of weeks to consult with both Israel and Palestine. Remaining gaps to be resolved appear to be Israel’s failure to release Palestinian prisoners and refusal to agree to preconditions.
Kerry stated, “Through hard and deliberate, patient work, and most importantly through quiet work we have been able to narrow those gaps very significantly. We continue to get closer and I continue to remain hopeful that the sides will soon be able to come to sit at the same table.”
Palestine, who obtained “nonmember observer state” status in the U.N. last year, has made it clear that they will seek further recognition as a state and membership in the International Criminal Court if diplomatic progress is not made.
After the meeting, the Arab delegates issued a statement saying, “The Arab delegates believe Kerry’s ideas proposed to the committee today constitute a good ground and suitable environment for restarting the negotiations, especially the new and important political, economic and security elements.”
However, U.S. officials have reduced expectations that any sudden breakthrough or announcement on resuming direct Israel Palestine communication will occur as Kerry did not plan to visit Israel or Palestine on this trip.
For more information, please see the following:
Aljazeera – Kerry to hold secret Middle East peace talks – July 17, 2013
Gulf Today – Kerry wins AL support for bid to restart ME peace talks – July 17, 2013
National – Kerry returns to Jordan for Mideast peace talks – July 17, 2013
New York Times – Kerry Returns to Middle East in Bid for Peace Talks – July 16, 2013
