Despite Syria Chaos Kerry Tells Israel He Is Watching Peace Process Closely

September 16, 2013

3 min read

Syria news

A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil; but the fool behaveth overbearingly, and is confident. (Proverbs 14:16)

Syria news
After a more than three-hour meeting, John Kerry told Benjamin Netanyahu that despite the chaos in Syria, the US is still focused on the Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations. (Photo: Flash90)

In a very brief visit to Israel on Sunday, United States Secretary of State John Kerry told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that even as the chaos in Syria has been the primary preoccupation of the Obama Administration, he was still keeping a close eye on the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

“The road ahead is not easy,” Kerry said at the outset of a 10-minute statement he delivered after holding a more than three-hour meeting with Netanyahu. “If it was easy, peace would have been achieved a long time ago. What is clearer than ever is that this is a road worth traveling.”

According to the Jerusalem Post, Kerry said his discussions with Netanyahu were a follow- up to a “very productive meeting” he had last week in London with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Since that meeting, the number of leaks to the Arab media have dropped significantly, something Israel had expressed frustration with earlier to US special envoy Martin Indyk.

Kerry reiterated in his statement that he, Netanyahu “and all of the parties” have agreed not to discuss details of the negotiations “at any point of time.”

“We are convinced that the best way to work through the difficult choices that have to be made is to do so privately, with confidence that everyone will respect that process,” he said.

Netanyahu, relating to the talks and referring to Kerry as “John” – who in turn called him “my friend Bibi” – said, “We both know that this road is not an easy one, but we have embarked on this effort with you in order to succeed, to bring about a historic reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians that ends the conflict once and for all.”

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During Kerry and Netanyahus’ meeting, the peace talks were being held simultaneously in a nearby room.

With regard to Syria, Kerry told Netanyahu, that the threat of force against Syria remains “on the table” and “is real,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

“Diplomacy has been the preferred path for the president of the United States, and I think it is any peace-loving nation’s choice,” Kerry said, speaking briefly to reporters in Jerusalem after a meeting that went on for more than three hours.

“But make no mistake, we have taken no option off the table. President [Barack] Obama has been absolutely clear about the remainder of the potential use of force if there is not compliance or a refusal to take part.”

Netanyahu, who said Israel was following the developments closely and supported America’s efforts, added that the situation has showed “something that I have been saying for quite some time: that if diplomacy has any chance to work, it must be coupled with a credible military threat. What is true of Syria is true of Iran and, by the way, vice-versa.”

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