Kerry Comes Up Short Again in Reviving Stalled Middle East Talks - East Idaho News
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Kerry Comes Up Short Again in Reviving Stalled Middle East Talks

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GETTY P 122110 JohnKerry?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1372669730515Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images(JERUSALEM) — Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday wrapped up a series of peace talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders but had little to show for his efforts.

Kerry arrived in the Middle East last Wednesday with hopes of reviving the stalled negotiations to create a Palestinian state that have been marked by intransigence on both sides since 2010.

However, his various meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, West Bank, reportedly went nowhere.

While both Netanyahu and Abbas see a Palestinian state in the future, they cannot agree on the first step to go about creating one.

Abbas says that Israel must negotiate in good faith, meaning that the government has to stop building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem before he comes to the peace table.  The Palestinians also want Israel to recognize the pre-1967 West Bank boundary before it was captured.

Netanyahu said that he rejects any preconditions for talks and will only discuss these issues once negotiations are underway.

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