Netanyahu expected to meet with Kerry
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry are expected to discuss renewing the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks; the initiative will seek to convene an international peace conference as an alternative to the French initiative.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry are expected to meet next week to discuss an alternative peace initiative for the Middle East to that currently being drafted under the aegis of the French government.
The latter, which received much opposition from Israel, is expected to receive overwhelming endorsement from vaious European foreign affairs ministers.
Netanyahu and US Secretary Kerry's meeting will also take place in the shadow of another related initiative, as the Quartet on the Middle East—comprised of the US, Russia, the EU and the UN—prepares to publish a report severely criticizing Israel for the diplomatic stalemate with the Palestinians. The report is expected to place the blame for the current situation squarely on Israel's shoulders, and to suggest its own ideas to restart the peace process.
Netanyahu would reportedly rather approach the peace talks through a regional conference headed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. As such, he is expected to lean heavily on Kerry to support this channel over the French initiative.
