International
Ahmed Hjazy/AP
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Palestinian negotiators Wednesday to discuss the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and other issues, the State Department said.
"I think they'll talk about a range of issues. There's obviously an ongoing cease-fire discussion and upcoming negotiations that will take place. There's a range of longer-term issues," said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki regarding the meeting in Washington, without going into further details.
Kerry last met Palestinian leaders in late July when he sought in vain to mediate a truce between Israel and Hamas. Prior to that, his bid to reach a comprehensive peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians after months of shuttle diplomacy collapsed in April after Israel pulled out of talks in response to rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signing a deal to form a unity government.
Ahead of his meeting with Palestinian negotiations, Kerry spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly offering sharp criticism of Israel's decision on Sunday to confiscate 1,000 acres of privately owned Palestinian land near Bethlehem in the West Bank. Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said it was the biggest land grab in 30 years.
Psaki on Tuesday called on Israel to reverse the move, saying it sent a "very troubling message" that is "contrary to Israel’s stated goal of a two-state solution."
European countries also blasted the land grab, with one senior European diplomat saying the decision was especially frustrating because it came within days of reaching a cease-fire in Gaza, Israeli news website Haaretz reported. "The Israelis have found the best way to put their finger in the eyes of all their friends around the world," the diplomat said according to Haaretz.
Israel’s 50-day operation in Gaza left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead, nearly 70 percent of them civilians. The fighting ended with an open-ended ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant groups, brokered by Egypt.
The two sides are slated to meet soon for negotiations on a long-term truce between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, but no date has yet been announced for the start of the Egyptian-sponsored talks. Reports emerged on Tuesday that Netanyahu said he would not send a delegation to Cairo.
As cease-fire progress remained elusive, the Palestinian leadership said on Tuesday it intended to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution that would set a three-year deadline for Israel to end its military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
Hanan Ashrawi, a leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization and a close aide of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said they would move ahead with the plan even if the resolution was be vetoed by the United States.
"We will be seeking a Security Council resolution on ending the occupation on a specific date," Ashrawi said, adding that the delegation is pushing for a statement that would hold Israel to ending the occupation "within three years."
She also said the organization planned to take Israel before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes during its latest military operation in Gaza, but gave no time frame.
"We are intending to take Israel to the ICC. We do not have a time frame, we have a program of action," Ashrawi said.
Al Jazeera and wire services
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