Kerry Arrives In Jordan As Peace Efforts Continue

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in the Jordanian capital, Amman, as he continues efforts to bring momentum to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Kerry is scheduled to meet with King Abdullah as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas.

On November 6, Kerry met with Abbas in Bethlehem, where Kerry urged Israel to limit settlement building, calling such construction "illegitimate."

Analysts say friction over the talks has risen this past week on the back of Israeli plans, announced in tandem with its release of 26 Palestinian prisoners, for some 3,500 new homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Earlier in Jerusalem, Kerry met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urged the Israeli leader and Abbas to make "real compromises and hard decisions."


Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa