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                 Kerry: Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks Back On

   by VOA News

   Israel and the Palestinians appear headed back to negotiations in hopes
   of settling long-standing differences.

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made the announcement in Amman,
   Jordan, after returning from a trip to Ramallah and a meeting with
   Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

   Kerry called the plan for preliminary talks a "significant and welcome
   step forward." He said while the agreement forms a basis for final
   status negotiations some details are still being worked out.

   If all goes well, Palestinians and Israeli officials will travel to
   Washington for initial talks within the next week or two.

   Kerry praised both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
   Palestinian President Abbas for making some difficult choices, saying
   "the representatives of two proud peoples today have decided that the
   difficult road ahead is worth traveling."

   This is the sixth trip Kerry has made to the Middle East since becoming
   secretary of state earlier this year. He was originally scheduled to
   have flown back to the U.S. already. He extended his stay after sensing
   an agreement to restart talks was within reach.

   Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed in 2010.

   The White House says President Barack Obama called Israeli Prime
   Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to ask him to work with Kerry
   to "resume negotiations with the Palestinians as soon as possible."

   Earlier this week, in Jordan, Kerry met with representatives of Arab
   states that support a comprehensive peace plan. He said many of the
   Arab League ministers told him "the core issue of instability in this
   region and in many other parts of the world is the Palestinian-Israeli
   conflict."

   Kerry had been urging both Israel and the Palestinians to be cautious
   and to avoid any actions or statements that might undermine their
   progress.

   At the time, he said the proposed plan aims to show both sides the
   benefits of peace, and in particular the impact some proposals could
   have on the Palestinian economy. He said programs being considered as
   part of the plan could reduce unemployment in the Palestinian territory
   21 percent to 8 percent over the next three years while also doubling
   the GDP [Gross Domestic Product].
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   talks-back-on/1705493.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-says-israeli-palestinian-peace-talks-back-on/1705493.html