Secretary of State John Kerry postponed a trip to Israel scheduled for this week but hopes to visit “in the coming weeks,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Nov. 18.
Kerry had indicated earlier in the day during a joint news conference in Washington with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that he would not make it to Israel as planned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced Nov. 17 at a regular Cabinet meeting that Kerry would arrive in Israel on Nov. 22 to discuss the proposed nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers, as well as stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Kerry’s decision to postpone his trip means he will not meet with Netanyahu until after the current round of talks in Geneva regarding Iran’s nuclear program, which has been a source of contention between Netanyahu and the Obama administration.
On the issue of foundering Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, Psaki said in answer to a reporter’s question that an indication of progress in the talks is “the
fact that both sides have reaffirmed their commitment to the nine-month timeline” in direct conversations with Kerry. — jta