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Kerry to arrive in Israel today in attempt to calm tensions

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US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in Israel today to discuss the current wave of violence and regional issues. However, he conceded that his trip aims merely to help calm the situation, rather than extract concessions from either Israel or the Palestinians.

Kerry was a frequent visitor to the region during an intense period of diplomacy which he spearheaded. Kerry oversaw peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), which broke down in April 2014 after the PA agreed a national unity government with Hamas.

Today’s visit will be Kerry’s first to Israel since last summer and he will meet with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Speaking yesterday in Abu Dhabi, Kerry was careful to set expectations, saying that “People aren’t in the mood for concessions” and that his trip is “an effort to see if we can get some concrete steps in place… that could calm things down a little bit.”

Haaretz reports that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will repeat a suggestion he made two weeks ago when he met Kerry in Washington, that the United States accept Israeli construction in major settlement blocs in return for measures boosting Palestinian rule in other areas of the West Bank. Many assume that major settlement blocs such as Ariel and Gush Etzion will remain under Israeli sovereignty under any agreed peace accord. Haaretz says that although US envoy Frank Lowenstein has meet Netanyahu’s envoy Isaac Molcho during the past few days, Kerry is unclear exactly what measures Netanyahu is prepared to take.

Meanwhile, PA President Mahmoud Abbas continued yesterday to accuse Israel of “extrajudicial killings” of Palestinians, as security forces neutralize those attacking Israelis. In a statement marking “International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People,” he also repeated the accusation that Israel intends to alter the status quo at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Israeli leaders have repeatedly denied the claim and accused Abbas of incendiary rhetoric which is stoking the current violence.