After four days of intense diplomacy, US Secretary of State John Kerry was heading home, insisting progress has been made despite failing to agree a framework to guide Israeli-Palestinian talks. During his tour, Kerry spent hours locked in separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, as well as making a surprise day trip to key Arab allies, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The top US diplomat was briefing Tony Blair, the Middle East special envoy for the Quartet of regional peacemakers, at his Jerusalem hotel as he wrapped up his 10th trip to the region as secretary of state. Earlier, Kerry met with Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog.
With the US remaining tight-lipped about the details, little news has filtered out about Kerry’s proposals to bridge the huge gaps between the two sides as they seek to draw up the contours of two states living side-by-side.
But talks appear to have focused on security in the Jordan Valley, on the border between the West Bank and Jordan, as well as the fate of Jerusalem, which both sides claim as their future capital. Jordan and Saudi Arabia will be key to any deal.
