BICOM

The Guardian reports this morning that Foreign Secretary William Hague will be visiting Israel and the Palestinian areas of the West Bank, starting on Thursday, whilst US Secretary of State John Kerry will also be in the region.

Hague will reportedly meet with Israeli and Palestinian politicians during the visit, his first to the region since 2010, in an attempt to provide support for Kerry’s efforts to reinvigorate talks between the two sides. Hague is also likely to discuss areas of common strategic concern with Israeli leaders, especially the regional impact of the ongoing civil war in Syria.

It will be Kerry’s fourth trip to the region since taking office in February as he continues to make a concerted effort to kick-start direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Kerry has already held two meetings this month with Israel’s Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who will head the Israel delegation in any future peace talks with the Palestinians. She has credited Kerry with “recreating hope” in order “to end the conflict in accordance with the vision of two states for two people.” Earlier in May, Kerry brokered an announcement by the Arab League softening its stance on conditions for a comprehensive peace deal with Israel. The Arab League statement was one item discussed yesterday by Israeli parliamentarians at the launch of the 19th Knesset Caucus to Solve the Israeli-Arab Conflict, with a number of MKs from across the political spectrum expressing enthusiasm for the initiative.

Hague’s trip coincides with the visit to Israel of a high-level UK trade delegation, currently taking place, which is being led by Rohan Silva, senior policy advisor to David Cameron.