Is President Abbas ready to negotiate with Israel?
The United States of America has announced an additional $75 million in aid to help Palestine generate jobs and help the Arab country improve its roads, schools and other high-impact infrastructure.
US Secretary of State John Kerry states the additional aid is designed to spur Palestinian public support for the immovable peace talks with Israel.
Kerry announced the aid in Bethlehem, where he is meeting Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. In addiiton, Kerry earlier met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
The new aid brings the US contributions to a Palestinian infrastructure programme to $100 million.
Meeting With President Mahmoud Abbas In Bethlehem
According to Secretary Kerry, President Abbas is 100 percent committed to these talks and the leader also committed that the Palestinians will not go to the United Nations during the period of time of these talks in exchange for the prisoners that are being released by Israel.
Secretary Kerry highlighted that Israel’s continued settlement is considered to be illegitimate by the United States.
“The Palestinians believe that the settlements are illegal.” – Secretary Kerry
In addition, the United States also believes that the settlements are not helpful and are illegitimate.
Kerry Convinced Abbas Is Committed To Peace Talks
Secretary Kerry is convinced that President Abbas is serious about these talks. He is also convinced that the Palestine leader seeks to find peace and that he understands that they require compromise by all parties.
“And he has restated to me today his own willingness to compromise in an effort to find a fair and just peace.” – Secretary Kerry
Secretary Kerry also thanked Predent Abbas for the hospitality rendered to him by Palestine.
US Endorses Two-State Solution
The United States of America has served as a mediator to end the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict and pressed for the so-called “two-state solution.”
The process would establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip coexisting peacefully alongside the Jewish state.
Reports say the continued Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank constitutes one of the problems on the way to peace between the two countries.
Another hindrance to the peace process is that Palestinians are divided between the moderate Fatah and the militant group called Hamas. Israel and the United States refuse to engage and negotiate with Hamas. Even though the US considers Fatah to be moderate, the group runs a facebook page which it uses to glorify murderers and terrorists that it lauds as symbols of the nation.
However, the one-state solution is dominantly rejected by Israel because Jews would soon become a minority.
