(JERUSALEM) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is looking to breathe new life into dormant Mideast peace talks in meetings Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, amid talk of modifying a decade-old Arab plan that's long been greeted with skepticism by the Jewish state.A day after meeting one-on-one with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Kerry spent the morning of Israel's Holocaust memorial day at Yad Vashem, laying down a red, white and blue wreath at the nation's official monument for the 6 million Jews murdered during World War II. He was to meet privately Monday with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli President Shimon Peres, before a dinner with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. Kerry is trying to end a 4½-year stalemate between the Israelis and Palestinians during which they've hardly negotiated peace at all. Making his third trip to the region in a period of two weeks, he has yet to outline any new plan but U.S. officials say he is exploring several ideas to try to corral both sides back into direct talks. Palestinian and Arab officials have pointed to one idea in particular: An attempt to revive, with modifications, the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative that offered a comprehensive peace with Israel for a pullout from territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war. The officials say Kerry is seeking greater Arab-Israeli security commitments and softer language on borders as part of the plan. But key obstacles remain. Israel has not softened its objections and the Palestinians say they turned down a request from Kerry for the proposed changes. Kerry and Abbas met for an hour behind closed doors in Ramallah on Sunday evening, where they discussed "the path to peace," according to a senior State Department official. Beforehand, U.S. and Palestinian officials met in a larger format to discuss strategies for economic growth in the Palestinian territories and how to best create a "positive climate for negotiations." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of Kerry's orders not(http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&blog=19871253&post=80257&subd=timeglobalspin&ref=&feed=1)
Via: TIME GlobalSpin
Peace is the solution to so many things all over the whole world