Kerry to visit Middle East this week — US official

By AFP - Nov 21,2015 - Last updated at Nov 21,2015

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to visit the Middle East from Sunday to Tuesday, in a trip that will take him to Israel for the first time since the summer of 2014.

Kerry will travel to Abu Dhabi, Tel Aviv, occupied Jerusalem, and Ramallah, State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement Saturday, with Israeli-Palestinian violence, Syria and the Daesh terror group all on the agenda.

“In Abu Dhabi, Secretary Kerry will meet with senior government officials to discuss a range of bilateral and regional political and security issues, with a focus on Syria,” Kirby said.

“While in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Ramallah, Secretary Kerry will discuss bilateral and regional security issues, including Syria and Daesh, and continue discussions on stopping the violence in Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank, and improving conditions on the ground.”

Confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians since the start of October have killed at least 86 people on the Palestinian side including one Arab Israeli, 15 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.

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