Kerry arrives in Middle East for peace talks

{mosads}Kerry will travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah in the West Bank on Thursday and Friday for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The secretary is seeking to restart peace talks that have been stalled since 2010.

“These meetings are to follow-up on ongoing discussions as we continue to assess how best we can support the parties in getting back to the table and in having dialogue leading to peace,” the State Department said ahead of the trip. “We remain committed to working with the parties to achieve a lasting peace through direct negotiations.”

Kerry will then attend the 50th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity at the African Union in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. He returns to Amman on Sunday to attend the World Economic Forum.