Kerry cancels meeting with Mahmoud Abbas

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has decided to cancel a planned trip to Ramallah on Wednesday, where he was scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Kerry cancelled the trip after Abbas threatened to disrupt the U.S.-mediated peace talks with Israel.

An unnamed official, who spoke to the Washington Post about the Mideast peace talks, said that negotiators were currently focused on a plan that would seek concessions from both Israel and Palestine in order to keep the peace talks going. Under the draft plan, Israel would slow settlement construction and resume the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The Palestinians, in turn, would not seek United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state.

Kerry met Monday night in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for four hours. Although Kerry is no longer planning to meet with Abbas on Wednesday in Ramallah, he was able to meet with the Palestinian chief negotiator following his meeting with Netanyahu.

[Washington Post]