Israel imposing own agenda on talks: Fatah official

Nabil Shaath, a senior leader of the Palestinian Fatah movement, said on Thursday that the Tel Aviv regime has “succeeded in really persuading” US Secretary of State John Kerry “to change the agenda of the discussions.”
 
The Fatah official stated, “Today, you will see Mr. Kerry going back and forth, discussing nothing” but the issues that have never been on the agenda of the talks.
 
Shaath said the Tel Aviv regime forces the US secretary of state to overlook crucial issues such as the borders of a future Palestinian state.
 
The Palestinian official made the comments following Kerry’s tenth visit to the Middle East in an effort to push for a deal between the Tel Aviv regime and the Palestinian Authority.
 
One of the sticking points in the Israeli-Palestinian talks, under any future deal, is security arrangements in the Jordan Valley, where the Israeli-occupied West Bank borders Jordan.
 
The United States has proposed a mixed Israeli-Palestinian military presence in the Jordan Valley to ensure security there. However, the Israeli regime says it wants a solo long-term military presence in the strategic valley.
 
Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Moshe Ya’alon has also insulted Kerry over his proposed security plan for the Jordan Valley, saying the proposal “was not worth the paper it was written on.”
 
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a surprise visit to Jordan to hold talks with King Abdullah II over the future security arrangements in the Jordan Valley.
 
The Jordanian royal palace said in a statement following talks between Netanyahu and King Abdullah the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations must “meet Palestinian aspirations” while at the same time “protect Jordanian interests.”