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No prospects for resuming Palestinian-Israeli peace talks: official

Xinhua, November 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

A Palestinian official downsized on Thursday chances to resume the Mideast peace talks on the eve of a U.S. envoy's visit to the region.

Member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Ahmad Majdalani told Xinhua that the Palestinian side doesn't see any "serious indications" to the resumption of peace talks, or at least implementing the bilateral agreement.

Majdalani said that the U.S. special envoy on Israeli-Palestinian negotiations Frank Lowenstein will meet with Palestinian officials to discuss international effort to resume the peace process, upon his arrival on Thursday.

He said that Lowenstein will also brief the Palestinian leadership of results of the last meeting between the U.S. President Barack Obama and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington earlier this month.

Majdalani pointed out that they were not officially informed of any scheduled visit of the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, "We believe if there's a remarkable breakthrough, then Kerry himself would came to the region," he added.

On the other side, Israeli media reported that Kerry is to come to the region next Monday to meet the Palestinian president and the Israeli prime minister.

The Israeli public radio stated that Lowenstein's visit comes to discuss "trust-building" measures between the two parties as well as preparing for Kerry's upcoming visit.

These efforts come within a flaring wave of tension between the Palestinians and Israel that was sparked in the beginning of October. The violence has left at least 89 Palestinians and 14 Israelis dead. Endit