Little likelihood of new peace plan during Secretary of State's visit

US sources have said that they do not expect Secretary of State John Kerry to present any new ideas for a peace plan to the Israelis and Palestinians during his visit to the region next week. Speaking to Israel Radio, the anonymous sources claimed that Mr Kerry will concentrate most of his efforts on simply trying to persuade both parties to return to the negotiating table.

Similar political sources in Jerusalem, meanwhile, added that Israel does not intend to offer any goodwill gesture to the Palestinians, especially not the release of any prisoners being held on security charges. Instead, the Israeli government is calling on the Palestinians to return to talks without preconditions.

According to Haaretz newspaper, the Palestinian Authority will hold open a window of opportunity for the success of John Kerry’s efforts until the middle of next month before heading back to the United Nations. However, the newspaper quoted a Palestinian official and someone on the Israeli negotiation team as saying that the PA may extend this deadline by another month if necessary.