Israeli lawmaker: U.S. to present option for Israeli-Palestinian plan

JERUSALEM, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Officials from U.S. President Obama's administration will offer a draft of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal in January, a Knesset member told Haaretz Monday.

Meretz Party Chairwoman Zahava Gal-On said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu about the U.S. intent during their meeting in Rome two weeks ago. Kerry is set to arrive in Israel Tuesday to meet Wednesday with Netanyahu and with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Gal-On told Haaretz she based her information on conversations she had in recent days with senior Palestinian, Arab and U.S. officials.

"The Obama administration plans to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough at the beginning of 2014," said Gal-On. "The Americans want to move from coordinating between the two sides to a phase of active intervention. This coming January, they will present a new diplomatic plan that will include all the core issues and will be based on the 1967 lines, with agreed-on land swaps. The plan will include a gradual timetable for implementation and will also address the dimension of regional peace based on the Arab Peace Initiative. It will also include an economic plan to invest billions in the Palestinian economy."

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have conducted 15 meetings since talks resumed in July. They are nearing the end of the first phase of talks, which included presenting opening positions on core issues. Haaretz said there have been no breakthroughs yet and Israel won't to present a defined position on the borders the future Palestinian state.