Kerry hopeful Israeli-Palestinian talks can be relaunched

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday he believes Middle East peace talks can be relaunched, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was ready to resume direct talks with the Palestinians.

“I believe there is a chance and I think it is imperative we have not lost sight of that issue,” Kerry said in an interview with MSNBC.

Relations between the United States and its closest ally in the Middle East have been strained since the last set of direct talks collapsed in April 2014 amid bitter recriminations.

Adding to the discord has been Netanyahu’s vehement opposition to an international agreement aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear program, which US President Barack Obama has championed.

But on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he was ready to begin direct talks immediately with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas without conditions.

Noting Netanyahu’s comments, Kerry voiced hope that there would be a way forward, but added: “Let’s wait and see what happens. I think we have to get through the next weeks before we start talking about the rest of the agenda.”

Netanyahu has sought to reposition himself as a proponent of the two-state solution since his reelection, after his pre-election comments rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state led the US to threaten it would reassess its policies towards Israel.

Secret contacts between Netanyahu and Abbas have been taking place for several months, according to recent reports, including in The Times of Israel. Those reports have been denied by both the Prime Minister’s Office and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

In recent months, Obama has warned that Israel is losing credibility in an international community that doesn’t believe the country is serious about a two-state solution.

Netanyahu’s willingness to return to the negotiating table comes on the heels of rumors that the 80-year-old Abbas plans to step down as president of the PA, after a decade on the job, amid frustration that all roads to Palestinian statehood appear blocked.

Washington has pushed direct Israeli-Palestinian talks as the way to reach a two-state solution to the conflict, while opposing Palestinian moves at the United Nations to gain international recognition of a Palestinian state.