US seeking advice from Israeli right-wing on Kerry's peace framework

Israel’s Channel Ten has learned that the US Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, has been conducting several marathon meetings over the past few weeks with right-wing members of the Israeli Knesset, in an attempt to persuade them with the framework agreement that US Secretary of State John Kerry will soon be presenting to both the Palestinian and Israeli sides in order to revive the peace process.

The channel pointed out that Shapiro had held meetings with members of the Knesset for the Likud Party and the Jewish Home Party, as well as meetings with the deputy army minister, deputy foreign minister and head of the coalition Yariv Levin.

According to the channel’s web site, Washington wants to know in advance how intense the right-wing’s response will be in Israel before submitting the document of understanding, which is being overseen personally by Kerry.

The channel made it clear, two weeks ago, that the document to launch the negotiations includes an agreement about the borders being based on 1967 with the exchange of lands, suggesting that between 75-80 per cent of the settlers could remain in their places even after the signing of a permanent agreement with the Palestinians.

The document also reportedly includes a solution to the problem of incitement against Israel, even in the case of the negotiations’ failure, as well as a solution to the problem of Jewish refugees who arrived in Israel after they were expelled from the Arab countries. As for the issue of Jerusalem, there will not be a critical decision about it in the framework, but rather the promise of talks through which the Palestinians are looking forward to having East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine.