U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, says Israel and the Palestinians are making progress towards a “framework agreement” to guide their talks on a formal peace deal but still have some way to go.
Speaking on Saturday, after extensive, separate talks with Palestinian and Israeli leaders, Kerry sounded somewhat hopeful about the chances of ending the conflict, despite misgivings voiced recently by both sides and a lack of tangible signs of movement.
On his 10th visit to the region in a year, Kerry is trying to establish what U.S. officials call a “framework” of general guidelines for an accord, with details to be filled in later.
Not There Yet
“I am confident that the talks we have had in the last two days have already fleshed out and even resolved certain kinds of issues and presented new opportunities for others,” he said after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“We are not there yet, but we are making progress,” Kerry told reporters in Ramallah, seat of Abbas’ government.
Since arriving in the region on Thursday, Kerry has spent about eight hours each with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he met again in Jerusalem on Saturday.
U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resumed last July after a three-year halt, with Kerry leading the push despite widespread skepticism about a successful outcome.
Kerry said he would fly to Jordan and Saudi Arabia on Sunday to discuss with their rulers the peace talks, which the United States hopes will lead to a an agreement within nine months.
Broad Arab support is viewed as crucial if the Palestinians are to make the compromises likely to prove necessary to strike a peace deal with Israel.
On arrival in Jerusalem on Thursday, Kerry said the framework he was trying to build would aim to address all of the conflict’s core issues, including borders, security, the future of Palestinian refugees and the fate of Jerusalem.
Both sides have expressed doubts about his efforts.