US Secretary of State John Kerry leaves Israel without any breakthrough on a ceasefire.
Earlier Wednesday, he met UN chief Ban Ki-moon in Jerusalem, where they said they had pooled their efforts in the hope of boosting the quest for a truce.
“We have certainly made some steps forward, but there is still work to be done,” Kerry said as he met the UN chief for the second time this week.
“We are now joining our forces in strength to make a ceasefire as soon as possible,” Ban said, warning there was no time to lose as concern mounted over the rising civilian body count.
The US diplomat offered a similar message to the Palestinians as he met president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
US Secretary of State John Kerry meets with outgoing President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, Wednesday, July 23, 2014. (photo credit: Matty Stern/US Embassy Tel Aviv)
“We have in the last 24 hours made some progress in moving toward that goal,” he said before heading to Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The men met for about two hours but made no statements after their talks. Kerry then left for Cairo and Netanyahu opened a meeting of his security cabinet.
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Thursday, July 24, 2014
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