US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday evening 19 Tammuz 5773 to begin another round of shuttle diplomacy between Israel and the PA (Palestinian Authority). While there is talk of a summit in Amman, officials in Yerushalayim state such a meeting is most unlikely before the weekend.

Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee Chairman MK (Yisrael Beitenu) Avigdor Lieberman stated it is certain that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is not looking for genuine peace with Israel but he prefers continued incitement and opposition against Israel, the likes of which he expects to see this coming September in the United Nations General Assembly.

What is known is that Abu Mazen continues to grant media interviews in which he accuses Israel of plotting and planning to destroy al-Aqsa Mosque to build the Beis HaMikdash.

As he prepared to embark for his Mideast mission, Kerry told reporters in the US that the window of opportunity was rapidly closing, stressing the need to advance the diplomatic process between Israel and the PA. While Kerry is not announcing deadlines, he did say “time is the enemy of the peace process”, urging both sides to resume talks and move ahead before the end of the summer.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)