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Israeli PM due to meet Kerry in Rome for resuming peace talks

Xinhua, June 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry next week amid international efforts to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, his office said on Wednesday.

Netanyahu will visit Rome on June 26 and 27, where he is set to meet with Kerry as well as with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

The scheduled meeting will take place as France is advocating for its international peace initiative, which Israel opposes. Israeli officials instead suggested a regional move to restart peace talks, with Egypt and other Arab states being involved in the process.

According to the Israeli Channel 2 news, Netanyahu prefers a potential Egyptian-led efforts to revive negotiations rather than the international approach pushed by France.

On Monday, a forum of the European Union's foreign ministers voted in support of the French initiative, first suggested in January, which includes a plan to hold an international peace summit in Paris later this year.

Earlier this month, representatives from 28 countries, as well as the European Union, the United Nations and the Arab League, met in Paris to lay the grounds for the planned French peace summit and discuss how to restart peace talks.

Netanyahu and Israeli officials charge the French initiative would "push peace further away" and let Palestinians "avoid direct negotiations" by setting preconditions.

The Israeli prime minister repeatedly stated there is "no replacement" for direct talks. The Palestinians support the French bid.

Lately Netanyahu as well as recently-appointed Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman expressed their support of recent statements made by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who urged Israelis and Palestinians to resume negotiations, with Egypt playing a mediating role.

The 2002 Saudi Peace Initiative, adopted by the Arab League, was mentioned in this context as well. The initiative states that if Israel and the Palestinians reach a two-state peace solution, other Arab states in the region will make peace with Israel as well.

While Netanyahu mentioned it positively recently, he was also quoted as saying in closed circles the changes must be made into the initiative in order for Israel to accept it.

Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip territories, home to more than five million Palestinians, in the 1967 Mideast War. The Palestinians wish to establish a Palestinian state in these territories.

The last round of talks between Israelis and the Palestinians ended without results in April 2014 and was mediated by Secretary Kerry.

Mounting international pressure for Israel and the Palestinians to resume talks follows an ongoing nine-month-long wave of violence, in which 32 Israelis and 205 Palestinians were killed. Endit