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             Kerry Makes Bid to Jump-start Middle East Peace Talks

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Jordan Wednesday in
   hopes of jump-starting Middle East peace talks, just as Arab leaders
   said they will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
   Kerry met with Jordan`s King Abdullah after arriving in Amman. He later
   held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a bid to narrow
   gaps in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
   But at a summit in Kuwait Wednesday, the 22-member Arab League released
   a statement rejecting any consideration of Israel as the homeland of
   the Jewish people.
   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Palestinian
   leaders recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
   The talks in Amman came ahead of Israel`s scheduled release of a fourth
   round of Palestinian prisoners.
   The releases are part of a deal that led the two sides to resume
   negotiations last year. Israel has not confirmed Friday`s release will
   take place, and Palestinian leaders have threatened to walk away from
   the peace talks if they do not.
   Kerry is also scheduled to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
   Netanyahu, either by phone or video conference.
   The parties involved in the peace talks have not publicly discussed the
   details of the negotiations, but there has been little visible progress
   on narrowing gaps on major issues. These include the status of
   Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees, borders and security.
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   ast-peace-talks/1879895.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-makes-bid-to-jumpstart-middle-east-peace-talks/1879895.html