Free Republic

French President Francois Hollande told Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Paris on Thursday that his country is committed to leading international efforts to help secure peace between Israel and the PA, AFP reported. Hollande confirmed "France's commitment to building on the momentum created" on June 3, when Paris hosted senior diplomats to work towards organizing an international conference to reboot talks by the end of the year. The French leader "expressed his concern over the the fragile situation in the Middle East and escalating violence", a statement from the presidency said. "While the latest report from the Quartet...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday issued a stark warning to Israel to resume long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, saying that if efforts fail now they may never get another chance. "We are running out of time. We're running out of possibilities... If we do not succeed now, we may not get another chance," Kerry told a forum held by the American Jewish Community, according to the AFP news agency. Kerry’s warning came amid reports that he is planning to return to the Middle East region within days, for his fifth trip to Israel since he...

The United States and Egypt, along with France, are planning a joint move to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks on the basis of the June 4, 1967, borders, territorial exchanges and a complete freeze of construction beyond the Green Line, including East Jerusalem. The freeze would not be announced publicly. Egypt's foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said in an extensive interview with the Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat that "once they realized their earlier approach had failed, the Americans see themselves forced to change direction." He added that Egypt had recently discussed with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas the new strategies for negotiations...