JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State John Kerry held intense talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders yesterday, seeking to overcome their concerns about a framework to guide negotiations towards a peace deal.
Kerry met Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and is due to meet him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again today for their third round of talks in as many days.
US Senator John McCain, who is also visiting Israel with a congressional delegation, said Netanyahu had voiced deep concerns in separate “detailed” discussions about the proposals being put forward by Kerry.
“Netanyahu has serious concerns about the plan as has been presented to him, whether it be on the ability of Israel to defend its borders or the reliability of a Palestinian state and their intentions,” McCain said in Jerusalem.
