US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived on Thursday in Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ,in yet another attempt at promoting elusive Israeli-Palestinians peace talks.
Kerry arrived at the presidential office at 1715 GMT, slightly late, as extreme weather – including snow storms – swept across Israel and the Palestinian territories, an AFP correspondent said.
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On Friday, the top US diplomat is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres before continuing to Jordan .
It is his ninth trip to Israel and the West Bank since March, and his second in less than a week.
- State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier this week the US aim was "focused on a final deal" rather than an interim agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Nine-month direct talks were launched between the sides by Kerry in July.
Last week, he said "we are closer than we have been in years" to reaching a peace deal.
But Palestinians said Kerry's ideas on future security arrangements, which were presented to the Palestinian leadership last week, had provoked a "real crisis."
- Kerry's December 11-18 trip will also take him on to Vietnam, where he fought as a naval lieutenant in the Vietnam War, and the Philippines.